Weight of the World
by MyAibou
Summary: Sequel to Infinite Potential. As the Ghost Zone spirals into civil war, Danny must unite ghosts and humans to fight for both their worlds against an old enemy who poses a new kind of threat. Post-canon, spoilers for the entire series. DxS but not the main focus of the story , minor TxV.
1. Chapter 1

**WEIGHT OF THE WORLD  
**A sequel to _Infinite Potential_.

**Disclaimer: **Would that I had been the one to create _Danny Phantom _and its fabulous cast of characters. But, alas, 'twas Butch Hartman, not I.

**Rating:** T

**Warnings and Pairings:** Spoilers for the entire series. DxS (but not the main focus of the story), minor TxV.

**Timeline: **This follows the same timeline as all my DP fics, which exist in the same universe. **Reality Trip** marks the end of Danny's freshman year, so he's fifteen after that. **Claw of the Wild** marks the end of Danny's sophomore year, so he's sixteen and a junior after that. This story takes place at the beginning of summer break following his junior year, almost a year after asteroid crisis in **Phantom Planet**, and a few months after _Infinite Potential_. Danny and his friends are not quite seventeen.

**Acknowledgments:** This story has been a long time in coming. A reaaaaaaaally long time. Four years, give or take. (Stupid real life getting in the way of my imaginary life!) And it wouldn't have been possible at all without a lot of help.

I want to thank ArcherRat for his amazing writing workshops that have taught me more about how to improve my writing than all of my college writing classes combined, and thanks to Ginef for her comments at those workshops.

And of course, there's my two fantastic beta-testers, Dragondancer5150 and Lunnaei, both of whom have way more important things to do than spend time reading my fanfic tome, but they took the time to do it anyway, and their insight has been invaluable. Also, a lot of the inspiration for my concept of the Realm of Fears comes from Dragon and her DP/Yu-gi-oh! crossover, _Jumping at Shadows_. One of the great things about fanfic is the shared community, getting to bounce ideas off each other and build on others' concepts, so thanks, Dragon!

Most of all, thanks to my family, who put up with my long hours spent on a hobby, with special thanks to my husband, who helped organize our schedules so I could make the time to write. He's definitely an enabler to my addiction.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_**Pariah's Keep  
The Ghost Zone**_

The pain was liquid lightning. It poured through her veins like acid, burning her from the inside out, filling her nostrils with the smell of ozone and singed hair, her mouth with something thick and metallic. Not blood, not quite, but close enough for someone like her—ectoplasm. It choked off her screaming, and she tried to spit it out, but there was so _much_, and her muscles were spasming, beyond her control, until even writhing against the ghost-proof bonds on one of his ever-present examination tables was more than she could manage.

And still, whatever was in that needle he'd plunged into her arm flowed into her, scorching thought and memory, dissolving the boundaries between past, present and future so that it all became one, and it all became _him_.

"It's called ectoranium, my dear." His tone was conversational, almost bored. "The ghost's Kryptonite." He was in human form, dapper and urbane, with white hair pulled back and clasped at the nape of his neck, a neatly trimmed white goatee, and a medical smock covering his dark Armani suit.

_Change back_. The words danced in the storm in her mind. If only he would change back to that creepy, green, gaseous-yet-solid form he'd been in when he'd brought her here to his castle, then the memories of the past wouldn't melt so easily into the horror of the present. Whatever that _thing_ was, it was preferable to _him_.

That thing she'd never known as "Daddy."

_Did I do good, Daddy?_

_I could not wish for a better daughter._

_He's using you! You're nothing but a mess he's not gonna clean up!_

_You. Exist. To serve. ME!_

_You are not the boss of me!_

He pulled the needle out of her arm, and she could almost breathe again as he laid aside the syringe—empty, but coated with a glowing, ecto-green residue—and began fiddling with some sort of medical monitor at her side. "You remember the asteroid last summer, don't you? The one on a collision course with Earth? Why, of course you do. It would have destroyed the entire planet if all the ghosts hadn't banded together to turn the world intangible so the asteroid would pass through it instead. You knew, I'm sure, that the asteroid was composed entirely of ectoranium. But did you know what happened to the asteroid after it didn't crash into the Earth?"

She couldn't answer, of course, but he wasn't really looking for her to. "It crashed into _me_. The impact alone should have killed me, never mind the ectoranium. You can't imagine the pain of that much ectoranium fusing into my system." His smile was cruel. "Well, perhaps you can. But instead of killing me, it gave me new life. Like the accident that made me half-ghost in the first place, this accident made me better, more powerful, superior to every creature, on the human plane or this one."

He leaned down over her. "And since you, Danielle, are also a half-ghost, if this little experiment works, _you_ will have that power as well. Like father, like daughter. How's that for a welcome home present?

Home. A cabin. Snow-peaked mountains. A huge fireplace with a bear skin rug on a hardwood floor. A basement lab with glass containment chambers.

No. Not her home. That place was gone.

_Out of power, but worth it to take this place down._

Home was something else now. Purple forests with ancient trees, but new blooms. The blue lake that glistened under a sun-drenched orange sky, and the towering spires that rose from the castle at the lake's center. The cobblestone streets and stone cottages intermixed with tall buildings of dark glass and green metal. No family. No father that loved her. But she'd never had that anyway.

But that home was gone, too.

_He's come for me._

Wood splintering as skeletal ghosts, warriors and mercenaries from every age in human history—_his_ warriors—breach the Main Gates. Shattering glass, screaming villagers, battle cries from the princess's Royal Guard as they charge in futile attempt to protect the kingdom.

No more hiding. No more quiet resistance from inside the walls of a small, backwater kingdom with no strategic value.

Beyond the gates, he'd been sweeping through the Ghost Zone, bringing realm after realm under his control. Factions formed, and the Ghost Zone spiraled into civil war, some of the ghosts trying to curry his favor by allying themselves with him, while others defied him. Ghosts didn't generally take up causes, and the Ghost Zone had always been a dimension of chaos. But it was _their_ chaos, and they wouldn't give it up easily. Not to some half-human, not-quite-ghost-anymore two-bit despot.

The princess was one of the ones who would fight for her realm and her people.

_I will fight._

"Don't fight it, child." He laid his hand on her arm, a gesture of fatherly comfort, but the shudder it sent through her was worse than the fire in her veins.

Fire. The kingdom burning, flames engulfing the forest and the castle, breaching even the lake. A dragon's cry piercing the din of battle—the princess, defending her realm.

But no. Not the princess. A _black_ dragon. The deposed prince.

Dragons clashing—black against blue, brother against sister, prince against princess. The people fighting beside their princess, the skeleton warriors fighting with the prince. Blue flames, green smoke.

Green smoke with red eyes, and a laugh she knew all too well.

"It was a stroke of luck, really, finding you when we did. Who knew that when Prince Aragon offered his eternal service and loyalty to me in return for revenge on his sister for stealing his kingdom, the spoils of war would include my long-lost daughter?"

_Did I do good, Daddy?_

_You. Exist. To serve. ME!_

Spoils of war. Plunder. Not the goal of the invasion after all, but merely one of many of the spoils of war.

_So those ghosts...?_

_Bad clones. Mistakes. And I would watch a hundred more failures devolve into ectoplasm to get the perfect, half-ghost son._

His real focus was—had _always_ been—

The sound of an explosion from somewhere outside the castle echoed across the chamber's stone walls, followed by shouts and laser blasts—a skirmish outside. Her pain gave way, if only for a moment, to something new. _Hope_.

_Danny_.

Her captor sighed. "That would be your 'cousin.' Such the hero complex, that boy." He said it with sarcastic disdain, but there was something else underlying it. A sort of grim satisfaction, as if this interruption was all part of the plan.

Well, of course it was. She was the means. _He_ was the end.

She tried to call out for help, but she was too weak from the ectoranium injection to do more than whimper. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Danny to find them. The chamber's huge wooden door splintered, blasted off its hinges by a beam of bright green ectoplasm, and she heard his voice, low and shaking with barely controlled anger. "I told you to stay away from her, Vlad."

Turning her head was enough to bring a wave of nausea, but it was worth it to see him there, a lean teenager wearing a black jumpsuit with white collar, belt, and gloves not unlike what she herself wore. He looked deceptively like any normal almost-seventeen-year-old human, except for his pure white hair—also like hers—green-glowing eyes, and the fact that he was floating three feet off the floor, the lower half of his body currently manifesting itself as a ghostly tail instead of legs.

She might have melted in relief at the sight of him, but the ectoranium injection was already doing a pretty good job of melting her. Literally. The pain had lessened just enough that she could feel green ectoplasm coating her skin like a slimy layer of sweat. Ectoplasm that had come from her own body's degeneration. _Hurry, Danny…_

Somewhere just out of her line of sight came Vlad's oily voice. "Ah, Daniel. Despite your name, I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to actually come _into_ the lion's den."

Her "cousin"—that's how she thought of him, even though they both knew they were more than just cousins—folded his arms across his chest. She had to blink as her sight wavered but, even so, she couldn't miss the anger burning in his eyes, nor in his voice. "Let. Her. Go."

"And if I don't, what do you intend to do about it? _Kill_ me?" Was Vlad taunting him? It was getting harder for her to concentrate…

"I will _not_ let you hurt her."

"_Let_ me? You have no power over me, boy. And Danielle is _my_ daughter."

"Daughter? How does you cloning _my_ DNA make her _your_ daughter? My DNA, _my_ family. If you want kids so bad, why don't you quit stealing other people's DNA and try getting them the old-fashioned way? Oh, wait. You can't, because you've wasted the last twenty-some years of your life pining over your college crush, who married my dad and wouldn't come near _you_ if you were the last half-ghost on Earth."

Vlad moved into Danielle's field of vision, his body rigid with fury. "That can be arranged." Then, there was an almost blinding flash of green light, after which he almost evaporated into that creepy, cloudy, humanoid-shaped mass of ectoranium.

A blast of green shot out from what passed for his hands. That, too, was ectoranium, rather than the standard ectoplasm rays other ghosts had. Danielle's body convulsed at the reminder of the caustic chemical coursing through her veins, and she wanted to shout out to Danny in warning, but nothing could come out as everything blurred together in confusion.

Flashes of blue light. "Age creeping up on you, huh, Vlad? Not moving as fast as you used to."

Green light. "You were saying, boy?"

Blue light. Cold. "That you're slowing down. And I bet the cold really aggravates the old joints, too."

"You don't honestly think your little ice ray can hurt me, do you?" Green light. Shattering ice.

The pain was ebbing, but a wave of nausea swept over her. Ectoplasm—her own life force—was seeping through her clothes, matting her hair. _Too late. He came too late for me._

And then, a hand on her shoulder, solid and reassuring, and a throaty, feminine voice next to her ear. "Hey, Ghost Girl. Remember me?"

Another teenager, this one dressed in a skin-tight black and red battle suit, leaned over her, smiling through the red-tinted faceplate of her helmet, and despair turned to hope once more.

"V-v-va—" She tried to say Valerie's name, but was too weak to speak.

Valerie's smile dissolved into a look of concern. "Shhh. Don't try and talk. Danny's gonna keep Vlad busy while I get you the heck outta here. Sam and Tucker are outside in the Specter Speeder, picking off skeleton minions."

A hum, like a dentist's drill, probably from one of the weapons in Valerie's suit, and then the cuffs that held Danielle's arms and legs pinned to the table fell open, and Valerie scooped her up and cradled her against her chest. "Whaddaya say we blow this joint?"

There was a tingle in the pit of Danielle's stomach, and a bright flash of light, coalescing into twin rings. They passed over her body in opposite directions, to her head and feet. Black jumpsuit morphed into blue sweater and red cargo pants, white boots into blue sneakers, and white hair into black, as the pain subsided to something almost bearable.

_Cuffs were keeping me in ghost form. Without them, reverted to human. Doesn't hurt as much in human form._

"Well, well, well." Vlad's voice, hazy, distant. "Valerie's come to play as well. I should've known."

Arms tightening around her and a strange sensation—was she changing back to ghost form? No, it was coming from Valerie this time. Then, they were moving, and she understood. _Valerie's jet sled. _ She'd called into being under her feet, and they were riding it up and away from Vlad.

A snarl of fury, more blue light, and Danny's voice. "I said: Leave. Them. ALONE!"

His last word became a shout, and then an unearthly howl, which radiated out from him in sonic waves, a tsunami of sound, slamming into Vlad, the examination table, anything and everything in its path.

Somehow, Valerie maneuvered them behind Danny, out of the danger zone. "Okay, Phantom, time to go!"

His Ghostly Wail died off, and they were gone, flying out through the chamber's broken door into the corridor, she and Valerie on Valerie's sled, and Danny above them.

"This would be easier if we could take the, uh, _shortcut_," Valerie told him.

"Yeah, I got you."

Danielle felt him settle in behind Valerie on the sled, wrapping his arms around the two of them before triggering his own metamorphosis. Over Valerie's shoulder, she could see the twin rings of light as they transformed him into a completely normal-looking human teenager with black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers instead of the black jumpsuit.

Valerie kicked down on the throttle, sending them straight toward the wall. Danielle's eyes squeezed shut, but they didn't crash, and then she remembered. _Ghost Zone. Humans pass through stuff here. Ghosts don't. _ She opened her eyes again as they phased through several more walls this way until they were clear of the castle.

Below them, a mob of Vlad's skeleton army swarmed around a boxy, silver, spacecraft-like vehicle. It shot back at them, rays of blue and green streaming out of a weapons array on top.

"Now it's my turn to provide the shortcut." Danny changed back into ghost form. Danielle felt Valerie click her heels, and the sled beneath them was gone, Danny now the one keeping them aloft. A tingle ran through Danielle, followed by pain, and she let out a strangled cry.

It only lasted a moment, and when it subsided, she was inside the vehicle, a cross between a NASA lunar module and a minivan, still cradled in Valerie's arms.

"Punch it, Sam!"

Danielle heard a thick boot stomp down on the accelerator, and she was pressed harder into Valerie's chest.

_Real-world vehicle. Danny had to make us intangible to get us in. Intangibility _hurts.

But now that they were solid once more, the pain was ebbing again, and she could take in more of her surroundings. She and Valerie were in the second row of seats with Danny, still in ghost form, beside them. In the front seats, operating the various controls on the vehicle's dashboard, were a pale girl with black hair and clothes, and a dark-skinned boy with thick glasses and a red felt beret.

When the acceleration leveled off, Danny reached for Danielle and gathered her into his own arms. "Dani…" His voice cracked. "Are you okay?"

She swallowed and forced a smile, meeting his ghostly-green eyes. "B-been… better, cos. Better when human, though."

His eyes closed, he pressed his forehead against hers. "I… I should've looked for you as soon as I knew he was back. I am _so_ sorry, Danielle."

"N-not… your… fault."

"It was my responsibility, though. You—" He opened his eyes again and sat up straight, worry hardening into resolve. "I swear, he's gonna pay for hurting you again, Dani. Just… tell me what he did to you."

"Ecto…ranium."

"He blasted you with ectoranium?"

She shook her head, but she was feeling woozy and could see the green glow of ectoplasm from her own body seeping through her clothes and onto his jumpsuit.

"Dani?" He sounded alarmed now.

Valerie answered for her. "I saw a needle on the floor by the table he had her strapped to. I think he might've been injecting her with the stuff."

"Injecting…?" His grip on her tightened and she closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest. "It's gonna be okay, Dani. I promise. My…" His voice cracked again. "My mom, she's a parabiologist and, like, the world's best expert on ghost physiology. She'll fix you up, I promise. Okay? Dani?"

But the pain and exhaustion were too much from her, and Danielle succumbed, letting the darkness take her away.

* * *

Vlad got up off the floor, transforming back into his human form, and dusted himself off. Looking toward the door through which the three children had "escaped," he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. "You are your father's son after all, Daniel. You could have been great once, but now you are nothing more than a puppet, who dances to every pull of the string."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_**Casper High School  
Amity Park**_

_**One month later**_

_1:36. Exactly two minutes since the last time I looked at the clock._

Danny Fenton sighed, cradling his chin in his hands as he gave up trying to even appear like he was listening to Mr. Falluca as the round little math teacher droned on and on about sines, cosines, and tangents. Trigonometry was boring enough on a regular day, but this was the _last day of school_. The second-to-last period of the last day of Danny's junior year of high school, to be exact. Expecting anyone to endure a math lecture today was bordering on criminal.

So what if the increasing number of interruptions over the past few weeks had put them behind Mr. Falluca's lesson plans for the semester? Finals were over, and it wasn't like he was going to accomplish anything by trying to drill in one last lesson on the _last day. _Not even Mr. Lancer was that obsessed. He was showing a movie in his class, which meant that, for the first time since, well, _ever_, Danny wasn't completely dreading English, his final period of the day.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his best friend, Tucker Foley, slumping in the seat next to him. Even surreptitiously checking out his PDA under the desk for what Danny assumed was either the specs on whatever new tech gadget was being developed at Axion Labs or preview shots from next month's Victoria's Secret catalog—probably both, knowing Tucker—wasn't enough to keep him alert.

A twinge of guilt pricked Danny's conscience, and he tried to tell himself it was just the trig that was putting his friend into such a stupor, although the dark circles under Tucker's eyes, pronounced enough to be visible even behind thick glasses and against a coffee-colored complexion, belied that.

_Summer vacation's coming,_ he reminded himself, _in only…_ He looked at the clock again. 1:37. Crud. It was still one hour and twenty-three minutes until freedom. One hour and twenty-three minutes until he was officially a _senior_. One hour and twenty-three minutes until—

A high-pitched wailing sound blared outside the classroom window, loud enough to startle the students awake. Danny and Tucker both jerked upright and exchanged glances, communicating without words their plan of escape even as Mr. Falluca sighed in defeat before launching into the now-familiar speech. "All right, students. Line up at the door, then proceed in an orderly fashion to the gymnasium and the safety of the ghost shield."

A donation from FentonWorks, the ecto-technology research lab and workshop owned by Danny's parents, the school's ghost shield had been modified by Danny's father with a sonic component. Tuned to the same frequency as Danny's Ghostly Wail, it deflected ectoranium in addition to the standard ectoplasm. All the other ghost shields in operation around town these days had been similarly modified.

As Danny scooped up his backpack and made his way toward the door alongside Tucker and their other classmates, he fought the urge to cover his ears against the shrill reminder that the "freedom" he had been so looking forward to moments ago wouldn't involve anything as relaxing as beach parties or girls in bikinis or sleeping in until noon. No.

"Freedom" this summer merely meant not having to waste time in class all day, pretending his grades and college entrance exams mattered when Vlad Plasmius was sweeping unabated through the Ghost Zone. It meant not having to do _this_, allowing himself to be herded with the other students to the safety of the gym while looking for an opening to slip away unnoticed whenever Plasmius got it into his head to send a minion or fifty into the Human World to harass the citizens of Amity Park.

Edging into the line of students filing out the door, Tucker leaned in toward Danny. "Where're we meeting the girls?"

"Sam has Latin this period, and Valerie has Spanish, so they'll both be on the third floor." He and Tucker reached the door and, while their classmates turned left toward the gymnasium, Danny ducked right, motioning with a jerk of his head for Tucker to follow. "Since everyone else upstairs will be heading south toward the gym, Sam and Val will probably go toward the north stairwell. We'll meet 'em halfway, I'll phase us outside and, hopefully, no one will even miss—"

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping him. "Mr. Fenton, Mr. Foley. The gymnasium is _this_ way."

Danny winced as he turned toward his teacher. Despite Mr. Falluca's diminutive stature—most of his students towered over him, especially the upperclassmen—the somewhat fretful man still managed to convey an air of authority, which Danny _so_ didn't have time for right now. "I know, Mr. Falluca, but—"

"No 'buts.' You of all people should understand how important it is to stay inside the ghost shield when the town is under attack."

"But—" Danny tried again. Mr. Falluca, however, was firmly guiding him away from the north stairwell and Sam and Valerie, towards a shielded room packed full of people where Danny couldn't hope to find the privacy to go ghost. And even if he did, he wouldn't be able to get out of the shield afterward.

"_Chronicles of Narnia!_ There you are, Mr. Fenton, Mr. Foley!" A second teacher, much taller than Mr. Falluca, but with about as much girth and as little hair, pushed through the crowds of students like a salmon swimming upstream, and Danny breathed a sigh of relief. While Mr. Lancer was far from his favorite teacher—the sight of him in the hallways usually meant trouble for everyone but the jocks, since he was more than a little biased toward anyone who could throw a football or wave a pompon—he was the only faculty member who knew Danny's secret.

He also happened to be the vice principal, in addition to teaching English, and that gave him authority over Mr. Falluca. Looking a little frazzled, Mr. Lancer motioned Danny and Tucker to follow him. "I need you gentlemen to come with me right away."

Mr. Falluca frowned. "All students are to report to the gymnasium—"

"Yes, but Mr. Foley _is_ Amity Park's duly-elected mayor—"

"_Appointed_ mayor," Mr. Falluca corrected. "He's a sixteen-year-old boy who was _appointed_ mayor by a City Council that was clearly panicking after Mayor Masters… vacated office."

"Hey!" Tucker looked indignant. "I've—"

"'Vacated office'?" Danny cut Tucker off, months of pent-up anger at everything Vlad had put them all through exploding out of him like soda out of a shaken can. "He was an evil ghost who blackmailed the _entire world, _that's how he 'vacated office.' And when that backfired, turning him into some sort of mutated anti-ghost, he decided to go back to taking over the world the old-fashioned way, with all these ghost raids that keep interrupting your precious trig lectures—"

"That's enough, Mr. Fenton." Lancer flashed him a look of warning. "We're all aware of who—and _what_—our former Mayor really is, and what he's currently doing to our town." He turned back to Mr. Falluca. "As for our present mayor, how he ended up in office is irrelevant. During these ghost crises, he's needed in City Hall."

Mr. Falluca sighed, then let go of Tucker's shoulder. "Fine, fine. He may go. But Mr. Fenton—"

"Is the son of the scientists who invented the ghost shield protecting our school." Mr. Lancer gave the much shorter math teacher a pointed look. "There were some problems when we activated the shield, but if you don't think that's a priority..."

Mr. Falluca raised his hands, releasing Danny as well. "No, no. He's all yours." With that, he headed off down the hall behind the rest of his class, while Mr. Lancer ushered the two boys in the opposite direction.

"Thanks for the save, Mr. Lancer," Danny said. He didn't wait for a response as they turned the corner, instead taking off at a dead run toward the north stairwell, Tucker on his heels.

They only got as far as the first landing when they almost ran headlong into two girls rushing down the stairs. Danny skidded to a stop in time, but Tucker plowed right into one of them, nearly knocking her off her feet. Holding out a hand to steady her, he gave her a suggestive grin. "Valerie, we've gotta stop meeting like this."

About an inch shorter than Tucker, with wide, pale green eyes offset by thick lashes, dark skin, and long, curly black hair, Valerie Gray looked like the kind of girl who could bend boys to her will just by lowering her eyelids and making her lower lip quiver. And she was.

But she was also the kind of girl whose glare could make even the biggest jocks in school fear for their lives, so when she batted Tucker's hand away with a growl of irritation, his grin faded, and he took a step back. A ninth-degree black belt in several forms of martial arts, she could flatten him without so much as breathing heavy. And that was without the battle suit and jet sled she used to fight ghosts.

It was the other girl who responded, however. Pale and slight with a bob of black hair, sharp, black-lined violet eyes, and angular features that made her seem about as warm and approachable as the average scorpion, Sam Manson wasn't likely to twist anyone around her finger with puppy dog eyes or a pouting lip the way Valerie could. Between that and the black clothes and boots she favored, she'd earned a reputation among their classmates for being brittle or grim.

But Danny knew better. He'd seen the way her eyes would light up when she laughed at something she found amusing, or flare like a match to dry twigs when she was fighting for something that mattered to her, making it impossible for him to ever think of her as anything other than fiery and full of life.

At the moment, she was merely annoyed, judging by the look of reproach she was giving Tucker. "Not now, Casanova. Maybe you noticed the Ghost Alert blaring?" She turned to Danny. "What took you so long, anyway? You waiting for Vlad to issue a written invitation?"

"Falluca caught us trying to slip away, but Lancer covered for us." Without waiting for a response, Danny clasped her hand.

Tucker gave an indignant sniff. "I get called out for a little charming banter, but there's all the time in the world for you to hold hands with your girlfriend?"

Grabbing Tucker's hand as well, Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to hold her hand, lamebrain. I'm trying to get us out of this stairwell before another teacher comes along and makes us go to the gym with everyone else."

Sam, meanwhile, slipped her free hand into Valerie's. When the four of them were all linked together, Danny concentrated the ghost energy within himself—limited but still functional when he was in human form—until first he, and then the others in turn, vanished from sight. With a little more concentration, they became intangible as well, and Danny pulled them down through the floor of the stairs and out through the wall to settle onto the ground just outside the school.

As he let his energy dissipate, turning them solid and visible once more, he arched an eyebrow at Tucker. "And for the record, dude, you're not charming!" Outside, the Ghost Alert was much louder, and he had to shout to be heard over the cacophony. Dropping Sam's and Tucker's hands, he put his own hands over his ears. "Remember the Ghost Hotline? The nice, quiet Ghost Hotline? I miss the Ghost Hotline."

A quick check confirmed they were alone in the secluded corner of the school yard, and he triggered the twin rings of light that morphed him from Danny Fenton into Danny Phantom.

Valerie, meanwhile, initiated her own transformation. With a whoosh of pink light, she was enveloped in her form-fitting, red-and-black suit that looked like it belonged on a Power Ranger. Only her face was visible, though somewhat obscured, behind a tinted visor across the front of her helmet.

While Danny and Valerie were suiting up, Sam shrugged off her fuzzy, purple, spider-shaped backpack and reached inside, pulling out three Fenton Phones, small, green, wireless earphones Danny's dad had designed for communication and to filter out ghost noise. She tossed one each to Danny and Tucker, then hooked the third over her own left ear. Valerie's suit had its own comm system that Danny's dad had helped patch into the Fenton Phones' frequency.

"You both have Fenton Thermoses?" Danny yelled at Tucker and Sam as he put on his earpiece, although he already knew the answer. None of them went anywhere these days without at least one of the ghost-trapping devices in their backpacks.

Tucker nodded and Sam patted her bag.

"Okay! Valerie and I will do a sweep of the town, and we'll let you know where to meet us. You can—" Abruptly, the wailing ceased, leaving Danny shouting at them in the almost eerie silence that followed. Unfazed by the sudden loss of the Ghost Alert—it was set to automatically stop a few minutes after activation—he merely stopped and started again at a more reasonable volume. "You can get some weapons from my folks when they show up."

Sam flashed him another impatient look. "Yeah, yeah. We know the drill. Just go already, would you?" But behind the admonishment, he could see the unspoken message in her eyes. _Be careful._

He nodded, both to the explicit and implicit directives, then turned to Valerie. "Let's go see who Vlad sent to play this time."

"Right behind you, Phantom." Valerie clicked her heels together, and her black jet sled appeared under her feet.

Danny shot off into the sky, Valerie behind him on her sled, and the two of them looped around over Casper High and the nearby park, looking for the source of the alarm. The town-wide Ghost Alert was activated when a series of sensors placed in strategic locations around Amity Park measured enough ecto-energy to indicate a large influx of ghosts from the Ghost Zone into the Human World, but Danny's parents hadn't yet been able to refine it well enough to pinpoint the ghosts' actual location or point of entry into the Human World.

"Think they came from your place?" Valerie asked.

Danny pulled up, hovering over the park. "I kinda doubt it, or we would've heard my dad screaming as he chased after them long before the Ghost Alert went off."

Sometimes ghosts entered the Human World through the Fenton Portal, a manmade entryway to the Ghost Zone that Danny's parents had built into the basement of FentonWorks, which also doubled as their family home. The portal's permanent location made it easy for both ghosts and humans to access, but it also meant ghosts would have to pass through the security at FentonWorks which, while far from foolproof, could sometimes prove daunting.

Valerie eased up beside him. "So, if not your place, where do we start looking? And don't say 'Vlad's mansion,' because we must've searched that old Polter Heights place about a billion times already. The feds dismantled the only portal there as soon as they found out Vlad was a ghost."

"No, I don't think it's anywhere near Vlad's old mansion. The ghosts always seem to show up somewhere around the park in the middle of town, not out in Polter Heights. He must've hidden his portal somewhere near here."

"Oh, well, that narrows it down to only five hundred-plus acres or so."

"I know, I know, the park is huge." Danny ground his teeth in frustration. "Okay. Why don't we start—"

He stopped short when a shiver ran down his spine and a fine mist escaped from his mouth as if the air temperature had just dipped below freezing. "—right here," he finished, pointing up to where a ghost floated above them, outfitted in a bulky mechanized suit and carrying more ecto-weapons than FentonWorks produced in a year. Gritting his teeth, Danny flew up towards the ghost.

"Ah, Ghost Child," a deep voice bellowed from within the armored suit. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Can we cut straight to the butt-kicking, Skulker? You're not exactly who I wanted to start off my summer vacation with."

Valerie hovered alongside him. "I don't know, Danny. Beats last period with Lancer. And I personally enjoy kicking ghost butt."

Folding massive metal arms across an equally massive metal chest, Skulker flashed her a sly smile through his impossibly elastic metal mask. "The spirit of a true hunter. You could learn a thing or two from her, Ghost Child."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just tell me what we're looking at so we can get on with it already. Hotep-Ra again? Or did we kick his butt badly enough the last time to scare him off for good?" The mummy-like former minion of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh who bore a remarkable resemblance to Tucker was one of the first ghosts to join Vlad's side. He'd been the one Vlad seemed to favor for raids on the Human World. "And let me guess: a horde of skeleton warriors came along for the ride."

Skulker tilted his head back and forth, his mechanical mask becoming almost businesslike. "A horde of skeleton warriors, yes. They seem to be focusing on City Hall this time."

"Tucker's gonna love that," Valerie said.

Danny gave Skulker a perfunctory nod. "Anyone on it, or are we the whole party?"

"Ember and Dora were tracking them—"

Danny's eyes widened. "Did they track them through Vlad's portal?"

His hopes were dashed when Skulker shook his head. "They were ambushed in the Ghost Zone. The skeleton warriors got away from them, but Ember managed to get a message off to me. I came through the portal in your basement."

"Darn it!" Danny gritted his teeth. "We're never gonna keep control of either world if we can't seal off the portal they're using to move back and forth. Where did they first show up? Lemme guess—the park?"

Skulker nodded, and Danny glanced at Valerie. "Told you so."

Valerie him off with an impatient wave of her hand. "Whatever. I don't really care how they got here. I only care about sending them back." She started to pull up on her sled to turn around and head toward City Hall, but Skulker held up his hand to stop her.

"Not so fast, Hunter Girl. It's a little more complicated this time. It's not Hotep-Ra. Rumor has it Plasmius... made an example out of him after his last failure. This time it's Prince Aragon leading the skeleton warriors."

Danny had to fight to keep from curling his hands into tight fists, but he couldn't keep the contempt out of his voice. "Figures. He's been Vlad's new favorite ever since that raid on his sister's kingdom." _And Danielle's former home..._

"There's more." The expression on Skulker's metal mask turned even more grim. "The Fright Knight is here as well. He and Aragon are the ones who ambushed Ember and Dora."

Danny's blinked. "Vlad's Number Two? _Here?_ This is new."

"Exactly. And he won't be easily defeated."

"It's not just a question of defeating him, or Aragon for that matter. What's Vlad up to that he's suddenly sending his number two guy into Amity Park? I thought he was focusing on trying to take the Far Frozen before he made any sort of major move on the Human World."

"Apparently not."

Valerie let out an impatient huff. "Are we gonna sit here and try and psychoanalyze Vlad, or are we gonna go make sure the Fright Knight doesn't take over our town? 'Cause if that happens, the whole 'what's Vlad doing' thing isn't gonna matter much."

Danny nodded. "Right." Clicking on his Fenton Phone, he spoke into it. "Sam and Tuck. You there?"

Tucker's voice came over the earpiece. "We're here, dude. What do we got?"

"It's Aragon this time. And he's got the Fright Knight with him. Call my folks and anyone else who can lend a hand and get down to City Hall."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_**City Hall  
Amity Park**_

The scene at City Hall did not look good. Dozens upon dozens of skeleton ghosts, glowing ecto-green and garbed in various different warriors' uniforms from across the ages, were swarming around the outer edges of the building's green-tinted ghost shield, attacking it with swords and battle axes. Police officers, some outfitted with ecto-weapons that, like the shields, were on loan to the city from FentonWorks, were doing their best trying to keep them at bay, but they were greatly outnumbered and simply didn't have enough experience with the weapons or ghosts in general to pick off the skeleton warriors fast enough to prevent their relentless, yet vain, attacks on the shield protecting City Hall.

Valerie let out a low whistle as the scene came into view. "Ooh, I was right. Tucker's head's gonna explode when he sees this."

Danny frowned. "But what are they doing _here_? They gotta know they can't get past the shield."

"Unless they know something we don't."

Grimacing, Danny nodded at Valerie. "Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. City Hall isn't just a nuisance raid to Vlad. It was the seat of his power when he was mayor. And he did send his Number Two guy. Think he's figured out how to take down the shields?"

"Only thing is, do you see the Fright Knight anywhere?" Valerie scanned the crowd below. "Or Aragon, for that matter? 'Cause all I see are those skeletons."

Behind them, Skulker punched a few buttons on the gauntlet of his cyber-armor. "I'm not getting Ember or Dora, either. Perhaps they've managed to keep Aragon and the Fright Knight busy."

"Well, we can't worry about that now." Danny jerked his head toward the fray below. "Amity Park's finest are about to get their butts kicked down there. We'll take care of Aragon and the Fright Knight after we mop up their crew. Skulker, you take the newcomers. Hunter and I will defend the shield," he said, switching to Valerie's com designation in order to protect her anonymity from all the humans present.

Skulker's annoyance showed through his mask. "_I_ am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter."

"Well, we're not _in_ the Ghost Zone, are we?"

Skulker didn't respond as the three of them descended on City Hall, each taking out a few skeleton ghosts along the way. Individually, the skeletons weren't particularly powerful, and were really only "ghosts" in the sort of loose, catch-all way humans tended to use the term to describe all ecto-beings. While other ghosts, like Skulker, were sentient individuals with a life-force of their own—or whatever passed for "life" in the Ghost Zone—the skeleton warriors were more like drones or even zombies. As near as Danny could tell, they operated under a sort of hive-mind linked through the Fright Knight to whomever he served.

As such, it was their huge numbers rather than any sort of power or skill that made them hard to defeat. For every one of them Danny, Valerie, or Skulker managed to pick off, it seemed as if there were suddenly three more to take its place. It didn't help that, if left alone long enough, the broken bones of defeated skeletons could eventually reassemble and reanimate.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long for their own numbers to increase. Tucker and Sam arrived in Sam's sporty, black, alternative-fuel car, jumping out and charging into the fray with Fenton Thermoses in hand almost before Sam could put the car into park, Tucker shouting, "Nobody messes with _my_ City Hall," as he sucked up two ghosts.

Minutes later, the Fenton R.V., which doubled as a large ghost assault vehicle, roared into the town square. A small crowd piled out, including not only Danny's mammoth father, outfitted as always in his orange hazmat suit with a Fenton Bazooka over his shoulder, but also Valerie's dad, Tucker's and Sam's respective parents, and Danny's older sister, Jazz, back home for the summer after her first year away at college.

Danny couldn't help but note that the only one who was missing was his mother. Not good. Only one thing could keep her away from a ghost fight...

He shook it off, refusing to allow worry to distract him, focusing instead on the welcome arrival of much-needed reinforcements as he landed beside the R.V. His dad greeted him with a perfunctory nod, but a look of almost childlike exuberance in his eyes belied his detached, business-like air. "What are we looking at?"

"Just skeleton warriors so far, but there are more than the cops can handle, especially since they're new to the weapons, and word is that Aragon and the Fright Knight are on the way, which could be a problem. Aragon's a fire-breathing dragon and very strong." He could feel the muscles in his jaw tighten just thinking about the role the dragon ghost had played in what happened to Danielle. "And the Fright Knight's got that sword, the Soul Shredder. It doesn't kill humans, but it will send you into a dimension where you live out your worst fears if he strikes you with it, so don't let him get a shot in. And don't let him stick it into the ground, either, or we'll have a massive ecto-storm on our hands, or it'll seal off the whole town, like that time he was working for the Ghost King."

"Sounds like we need to get that baby away from him."

"That'd be nice, but not likely. It's his most prized possession. Just keep him from using it. On our side, Skulker is here, and Dora and Ember are MIA. You and Jazz coordinate with Tucker and whoever's in charge of the police. Mr. and Mrs. Manson and Mr. Gray, fan out and pick off as many of those skeletons as you can and see if we can establish a perimeter around City Hall and keep them from crowding the Ghost Shield. Mr. and Mrs. Foley, you'll be monitoring the situation from the command center in the Fenton R.V., right?" When Tucker's parents nodded, he instructed, "Let us know if there's any sign of any new ghosts—enemies or friendlies." He turned his attention back on his dad. "And let's try to remember the distinction between the two this time. No shooting the ghosts on our side, okay? _Jack?_"

He got an innocent shrug in response to the rebuke, but no comment on the use of his first name. Danny had gotten into the habit of addressing his parents by their names whenever he was out in public in ghost form in order to protect his identity, but it still felt a little strange on his tongue.

Stranger still was the fact that his best friends' parents were fighting ghosts alongside them. With the increasing raids on the town by Vlad's skeletal minions, they'd needed all the help they could get to keep the ghosts at bay, and the parents had all proven to be surprisingly capable fighters. Mr. Gray, an ex-Marine sharpshooter, and the Mansons, champion skeet shooters at their country club, had adapted quickly to the ecto-weapons. Tucker's parents were less proficient with firearms, but they were technologically adept, like their son, and provided backup by monitoring the battles on the scopes in the Fenton R.V. and occasionally using its weapons array to lay down cover fire.

As the group dispersed to their assigned tasks, Danny flew back up into the air to get a better perspective of the situation. Below him, he saw a skeleton warrior going after Sam from behind while she was focused on sucking another one into her Fenton Thermos. Swooping down, he blasted her attacker with his ghost ray, sending glowing green bones skittering across the pavement at the base of the large statue of himself holding the world aloft in his right hand that sat in the middle of the town square.

"Thanks." Sam flashed him a tired grin as he landed briefly beside her. "There're just so many of them, they keep coming at us from all sides."

"Yeah, but now that reinforcements have arrived, we should be able to make short work of them, and then we can go look for Aragon and—"

A blast of blue flame shot by Danny, so close it almost singed his hair, as the backdraft knocked him and Sam towards City Hall, where Danny collided face-first into the ghost shield, while Sam tumbled through it to land in a heap on the front steps a few feet beyond the shield. Grunting, she raised herself up on her elbows. "Found him."

"Ya think?"

"Ghost dragon, arriving from the north. Not friendly—I repeat, _not_ friendly," Mr. Foley belatedly announced through the Fenton Phones, as Danny peeled himself off the ghost shield in time to see a sleek, black dragon dive down from the sky, scattering the humans.

About forty feet long from the tips of his green claws and the green horns on his head to the end of his spiked tail, Aragon looked like he kept a stash of medieval knights' bones to use as toothpicks. Rearing back so that Danny could see the deep purple markings across his belly and under his wings, the dragon ghost let loose another blast of bright blue flame, setting fire to the trees that lined the street.

A grim smile curled onto Danny's lips. "Just the dragon butt I've been wanting to kick. Time for a little payback for siccing Vlad on Dora's kingdom and leading him straight to Dani."

Sam, looking a little tousled from her rough landing, came back through the shield to Danny's side, worry darkening her eyes. "Don't go there, okay?"

"Feeling protective of your ex-fiancé?"

She gave him an acerbic look. "No. Kick that arrogant jerk's butt from here to the Ghost Zone, but do it to protect the town, not as payback. You go for revenge, and you're gonna end up choking on it."

He let out a long breath of air, conceding with a small nod. "Yeah, okay."

"Oh, and another crack like that, and I'll have one more ex in this fight."

He gave her a cocky grin. "But my witty banter is one of the things you love about me."

"Just let me know if you plan on saying anything that's actually witty. I wouldn't want to miss it."

Before Danny could respond, Skulker descended on them with a roar of jets from his cyber-armor. "Are you here to fight, Ghost Child, or to make time with your girlfriend? There's a dragon that needs slaying."

"Right behind you. Don't try for direct hits, though. That dragon hide is pretty tough. Our best bet is to get that amulet off him so he reverts back to..." Danny paused, uncertain how to phrase it. "Humanoid ghost form," he settled on, then flew up to join Skulker.

"What do you wanna do about those fires?" Sam shouted up at him.

"Let the fire department take care of that. You round up Hunter and Tuck and everyone and get them to concentrate on Aragon. He's the biggest threat."

The Fenton Phone crackled in his ear with another warning from Mr. Foley: "Another unfriendly, this one from the south!"

A loud whinny and the drumming of hoofbeats announced the new arrival—a mammoth black horse, but one unlike any seen in the Human World. Its mane and tail were made of green flames, and matching flames sparked from its hoofs as well. Bat-like black wings sprouted from its flanks, a single white horn from its forehead, and sharp, carnivorous teeth protruded from its mouth.

On its back rode a black-armored knight with purple flames shooting out from his shoulders like a cape and from his helmet like plumage. He sat straight and tall, looking down from the saddle with an air of disdain that was impossible to mistake even through his helmet.

The Fright Knight had arrived.

Danny sighed as he downgraded Aragon's threat level in light of the new arrival. "And now, he's not."

The horse, called the Nightmare, reared up on her hind legs and pawed at the air with her forelegs as she let loose another ear-splitting whinny. Pulling back on her reins, the Fright Knight pointed his glowing, green broadsword at the black dragon, who had just wheeled around for another pass at the ghost shield. "This is the best you can do? A few paltry flames? One strike with my blade could do more to bring down the humans' ghost shield."

Indignant, the dragon snorted licks of blue flame. "Is this the way a knight talks to his prince?"

"Do not presume to think yourself _my_prince. Your kingdom is but a backwater realm in one corner of the Ghost Zone. I tolerate you only because my lord and liege has asked it of me, and he tolerates you only for the services you can render. Should he see how useless you truly are, I am sure he will tolerate you no longer."

Aragon let out a bellowing roar. "Useless? You do not begin to understand my powers!"

Skulker cocked his head at Danny. "You know, maybe these two showing up isn't such a bad thing after all. If we leave them alone, they might just take each other out and do our job for us."

As if in response, Aragon let loose with another blast of blue flame, this time setting fire to the trees on the other side of the town square. By way of reply, the Fright Knight leaped off his horse, his sword raised high over his head. But Danny realized he wasn't going to use it to attack the dragon but, rather, was readying to plunge the sword into the ground.

"Or not," Danny said to Skulker. Diving toward the Fright Knight, he sent a blast of ice from his fingertips toward the Fright Knight's arms. It froze his armor, locking him in place. It wouldn't hold him long, but at least it would buy them a little time to find another way to keep him from plunging that sword into the earth and sealing off the whole town.

Above him, Valerie zoomed in on her jet sled. "Why don't you let me take care of the Fright Knight? Those ice powers would be a little more useful against the fire-breathing dragon, don'tcha think?"

Danny nodded. "Just keep him from getting that sword into the ground or cutting anyone with it."

"I'm not stupid, Phantom. I remember what happened the last time."

Below him, his father, Jazz, Tucker and Sam converged on the Fright Knight just as he broke free of the ice. To Valerie, Danny said, "They can help you keep Sir Whines-a-Lot busy." To Skulker, he asked, "How would you like a dragon pelt at the foot of your bed?"

"Well, I was saving that space for _your_ pelt, but dragon leather _is_ rather stylish, and the colors would complement my décor."

Together, they circled around and flew at the huge, black dragon. Skulker blasted him with his arm-mounted ghost ray, while Danny let his central core temperature drop to ready another blast with his ice powers. "Hey, Maleficent! What's your problem? You just find out you're not the fairest in the land?"

Aragon let out a furious roar, then reared back in preparation for another volley of blue flame, but Danny directed the cold energy that had built up inside him out through his fingertips, sending a wave of frozen air toward Aragon and right into his mouth. The stunned dragon, his muzzle temporarily frozen shut, was knocked off balance and tumbled backwards to land with a crash in the middle of the town square.

Skulker crossed his arms in front of his massive chestplate. "Nice shot, but if you're going to make lame Disney references, at least get them right. While Aragon does bear a remarkable resemblance to Maleficent from _Sleeping Beauty_, 'Fairest in the land' is from _Snow White_."

Danny arched his eyebrow. "I don't know which is more disturbing—your taste in interior decorating, or that you know your Disney Princess movies."

"Just get the amulet, Ghost Child. I'd like to wrap up this civil war and get back to hunting _your_ hide before your human half's hair is as white as your ghost half's."

Danny shot down toward Aragon, Skulker right behind him, but before they reached him, the dragon got up off the ground and managed to generate enough heat to melt the ice off of him, then send another wall of flame at them. Danny countered with an ice shield, which kept the flames from setting anything else on the ground on fire.

Aragon flew up into the sky above City Hall, growling in fury. "You think you can fight fire with ice? I will melt you and your entire town!"

"Blow all the hot air you want, dragon breath! It's not gonna be enough to break through that ghost shield to get City Hall or anything else in Amity Park that's important to Vlad."

Aragon threw back his great, black head and laughed. "You are as short-sighted as the Fright Knight, so sure that fire is my only weapon. Have you forgotten the power I held over my kingdom before you helped my treacherous sister steal it from me?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Danny watched Skulker advance on Aragon while Danny kept the cocky dragon distracted. "What power is that? The power of boring your people to death by living in the dark ages?"

"The power to _create_ those 'dark ages,' foolish boy! Clockwork may be on your side of this war, but there is more than one way to stop the march of time!"

As Skulker was about to take aim with the tight-beam ray on the gauntlet of his cyber-armor, Aragon wheeled around and breathed on him, but instead of a line of blue flame, this time it was a noxious-looking cloud of green smoke. Danny lost sight of Skulker in the fumes, but a moment later saw him again as he dropped like a stone toward the ground. On pure instinct, Danny dove after him, catching him by the backplate of his armor. "Skulker? What was that? What'd he do to you?"

It was as if he were holding an empty shell. Danny set the armor down on the ground, shaking it slightly. "Skulker? You in there?"

He heard a faint sound from the faceplate. Directing a small beam of ectoplasm at the neck joint, he worked on separating the head from the body. When it was loose, a minuscule blob of green ectoplasm with legs worked itself free of the helmet. In a voice about four octaves higher than Skulker's usual booming bass, the little indignant ghost began cursing. "He killed all the power to my cyber-armor! It's completely dead!"

"He fried your suit?" And then Danny remembered. Before Dora had taken over, Aragon's kingdom had been stuck in the middle ages. None of their technology worked once they were within its borders and... _under its green-clouded sky._

Looking up, Danny watched as a murky, green fog spread around City Hall, obscuring everything from his vision—the building, its ghost shield, his family and friends still fighting the Fright Knight somewhere nearby.

_The shield..._

Danny gasped. "He can kill all our tech! Everything! The shield, my dad's weapons, your suit—" His eyes widened as soon as the word _suit_ left his mouth. The weapons loss put all his family in friends in danger, but they were fighting on the ground. Only one other person would be fighting from the air. "Valerie!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_**City Hall  
Amity Park**_

With a burst of speed, Danny took off and flew right into the heart of the green fog. Right away, he could see his suspicions confirmed—the glowing, transparent, green dome surrounding City Hall was gone, and there was sort of an eerie silence as the din from weapon turbines, car sirens, fire hoses, and other familiar sounds of crisis and battle died off, leaving only the intermingled shouts of humans and ghosts alike, and the crackling of the burning trees on either side of the town square.

On the ground below, beyond the statue of himself that sat in the center of the square, he saw the Fright Knight advancing on a cluster of his now-defenseless family and friends. A blast of ice from his hands froze the Fright Knight in place—a stopgap measure at best—and the hasty erection of a few ectoplasmic shields, these based on his own ghost energy rather than his father's technology, protected the humans from the remaining skeleton ghosts.

But Valerie was nowhere in sight. This, he decided, was sort of good news/bad news. While he couldn't locate her to protect her from the failure of her suit and sled, he also didn't see any sign that she'd already crashed. She may well have been above the fog when it hit the town square, but it was spreading, and since she would have no way of suspecting what it would do to her equipment, she wouldn't hesitate to fly back into it to continue her assault on the Fright Knight.

Sure enough, in the relative silence, Danny could hear a lone jet turbine whine somewhere above him. He darted upwards just as Valerie and her sled burst into view through the fog. Increasing his speed, he flew at her, tackling her around the midsection like a defensive end rushing the quarterback, knocking her off her sled before it could lose power and send her plummeting to the street below.

Surprised at the sudden attack from her ally, Valerie cried out. "Hey! Let go of me! What are you _doing_?"

"Saving your butt before your jet sled fails, that's what."

"Fails? What are you talking about?" Wriggling in Danny's arms slightly, she clicked her heels together. With another roar from its turbines, her sled wheeled around and returned to her. "See, my sled is working fine. Now, let go of me!"

Danny frowned. "Wait. Your sled still works?"

"Of course it works! Why wouldn't it?"

As the sled settled itself under Valerie's feet, Danny let go of her, but stayed close. "This fog Aragon created. It kills technology. Everything's dead—the ghost shield, the ecto-weapons, the police cars, the fire trucks. Even Skulker's suit. So, how is your sled still working?"

Before she could answer, Aragon himself appeared in the fog behind Danny. He whirled around to get off a shot, but Valerie, already facing the right direction, was quicker, pegging him with a blast from her arm-mounted bazooka. It hit him hard enough to hurl him backwards, where he disappeared from view in the fog, although they heard the crash as he landed on the ground below.

Danny's eyes widened. "Your weapons work, too?"

"Well, duh!"

"Valerie, _no other form of modern technology is working right now_. Something's really weird here."

"It's _Hunter_. And the suit does run off of ecto-energy."

"So does Skulker's cyber-armor, but it died along with everything else."

She gave him an impatient glower. "Look, Phantom. If no other tech is working, then we're down to you and me against Aragon, the Fright Night, and a couple dozen skeleton ghosts. You wanna sit there yammerin' at me, or do you wanna protect our town?"

She was right, of course, but Danny couldn't help but be concerned. They knew so little about what Technus had done to her when he'd bonded the broken pieces of her old suit to her, creating this new one. "Fine. But I'm not done with this."

"Whatever. Let's just—"

Twin roars interrupted her, the first from the Fright Knight as he finally broke free of the ice Danny had used to restrain him, and the second from Aragon as he flew back into the fog. Danny gritted his teeth. "You keep hammering the Fright Nut, and I'll stay on Scaly."

"What about the skeleton ghosts? Without the shield, they're gonna tear City Hall apart."

"We'll just have to worry about them later." Danny dodged as a blast of flame from Aragon scorched the air between him and Valerie. He shot out with ice, dousing the flame before it could set anything else on fire, as Valerie kicked down on the throttle of her sled and rocketed off toward the Fright Knight. Another blast of ice put out most of the flames on one side of the town square.

Aragon shook his huge, horned head. "I already told you, child. You cannot stop me with mere ice."

"Actually, I think I just did."

"Then, think again!"

Before Danny could react, Aragon twisted in the air, catching Danny in the side of the head with the spiked end of his powerful tail. It cut across his face, burning like acid, and sent him flying back into the statue of himself, where he slammed into the globe held aloft in its right hand. The blow knocked the wind out of him and sent him crashing to the ground. Struggling to get to his feet and catch his breath, he wiped at his burning cheek to find his white glove stained bright green with ectoplasm, the ghost version of blood.

Shaking off both the blow and the wound, he launched himself at the dragon once more, this time firing with his ghost ray. It hit Aragon between the eyes, and the dragon reared back, bellowing in either pain or anger—Danny wasn't sure which. Either way, it was only a momentary distraction before he was back for another attack.

Danny went intangible, allowing the dragon to sail through him. Materializing behind him, Danny generated more ectoplasm. His hands glowing green, he let it build up into a ball of energy before he fired it in Aragon's direction, this time aiming not for the dragon himself, but for the thick, gold chain that hung around his neck. If he could just get that amulet off, then Aragon would revert to humanoid form and be all but neutralized as a threat.

Easier said than done, however. The ectoplasm barely scorched the chain, and Aragon wheeled around to face him once more. "Do not think you will be able to remove my amulet so easily, arrogant child. Your human friends are helpless without their precious modern technology, and in my dragon form, I am far too powerful for you to defeat alone!"

Blue flame shot through the fog, slamming into Aragon's flank and sending him crashing to the ground once more. "Good thing he's not alone, then, _brother_!"

Danny blinked in surprise, then looked up to see a second dragon, this one pale blue with bright green horns and matching green scales down its back.

Even more surprising was that it carried a rider—a female ghost with blue-tinged skin and electric blue hair pulled up into a high ponytail that fanned out like a flame from the top of her head. Her eyes were lined with black swirls that made even the makeup Sam wore for club nights at the Skulk and Lurk seem tame, and she was wearing a skin-tight black halter and leggings that ended in knee-high silver platform boots, with a hot-pink electric guitar slung across her back.

A relieved smile stretched across Danny's face. "Dora! Ember!" Then he schooled his features into a dry grin. "Nice of you to finally join the party."

"Watch the lip, baby pop," the rider, Ember McLean, shot back. "We were kinda busy with some nasty surprises the Fright Knight left for us. And, considering we just saved your butt from being flame-broiled, you should be on your knees thanking us."

Below them, Aragon heaved himself onto all four feet, then launched himself up toward them. "Dorothea! How did you get your amulet back?"

The blue dragon shook her head. "Oh, no. My days of answering to you are over." Her high and slightly nasal voice, no matter how regal her tone, was incongruous with her sharp, reptilian claws and teeth.

"We'll see about that!" Aragon tried to blast her with more fire, but Danny got between them and threw up an ice shield.

With her brother temporarily distracted, Dora flew up over their heads. "Still trying to live in the past, eh, brother? Let's see what we can do about that." And with a great breath, she breathed out more flame of her own, this time aimed at the fog around them. It burned away, allowing the warm summer sun to shine through again. As soon as the fog had cleared, there was a great clatter and whine of weapons, fire engines, and sirens coming back to life.

"Music to my ears." Ember flew up off Dora's back, pulling her guitar off her own. "And speaking of music, now that the power's back on..." She turned a knob on her guitar, then struck a loud, jangling power chord. Pink waves, like visible sound, rocketed outward, slamming into Aragon, sending him hurtling back to the ground once more.

Dora turned to Danny. "We'll take care of my fossil of a brother. Your friends could probably use your help with the Fright Knight."

Danny gritted his teeth. He really wanted to focus on Aragon, payback for what happened to Danielle. But the Fright Knight really was the bigger problem, and Sam's warning for him to fight for the right reasons reverberated through his brain. With a sigh, he agreed to Dora's plan. "He's all yours. Just... kick him extra hard for me, okay?"

Dora bared her teeth in something Danny thought was probably supposed to be a smile of understanding, then she swooped down to where Aragon was struggling to regain his feet.

Danny turned in the opposite direction, where Valerie was keeping the Fright Knight too busy deflecting laser blasts and projectiles from her various sled- or suit-mounted weapons to manage to sink his sword into the ground. Jazz, meanwhile, had used an ecto-foamer to free herself and the other humans from the plasma shields Danny had set up to protect them when their weapons had stopped working.

As soon as Tucker was free, he charged toward City Hall, waving a Fenton Thermos and an Ecto-Blaster over his head. "Oh, no, you don't, you two-bit bags of bones! This is _my_ town!"

"Tucker, wait!" Sam called out after him in vain. "If the Fright Knight uses that sword to suck the whole town into the Ghost Zone or something, a few skeletons in City Hall aren't gonna matter much!"

Danny brought himself up to hover above her. "No, he's right. You, Jazz, and the parents should go help Tucker mop up the rest of the skeleton warriors. The ghosts are dealing with Aragon, and Hunter and I can handle the Fright Knight."

Sam frowned. "Are you sure? He almost got that sword into the ground twice."

"Don't worry. I've got an idea. Just go keep Mayor Foley from getting himself assassinated, 'kay?"

She nodded, and Danny was off again, looping around the ongoing battle between the black-armored ghost and the red-armored human. Valerie, barely sparing a glance his way, huffed out through her helmet, "Is ghost fighting... a spectator sport now... or are you gonna... lend me... a hand?"

"I've got your back, Hunter," Danny said, pulling up short behind her as he let his core temperature drop.

She ducked beneath a swipe of the Fright Knight's blade, then directed a ray of pink plasma at him from a weapon mounted on her left arm. He deflected it with his sword, sending it back in her direction and forcing her to dodge once more. _"Today?"_

"Keep your suit on." Danny took a deep breath, then released a blue bolt of ice out through his fingertips. Directing it to the ground beneath the Fright Knight's feet, he created a slick frost. The Fright Knight lost his footing, landing with a thud on his back, but Danny didn't stop. He kept pouring frozen energy into the ground, letting it spread through the soil all around them.

While he kept at his assault on the ground, the Fright Knight righted himself, then floated into the air. "Foolish child. I am a _ghost_. Slippery ground will not stop me."

To prove his point, he flew at him, his sword aimed at Danny's heart. Danny redirected the ice from his right hand to form a shield before returning to the task at hand. When the Fright Knight's sword glanced off the shield, Valerie added in a blast of her own, pegging the armored ghost in the back and knocking him onto the now-frozen pavement. He slid several yards before regaining control of himself, then he was up in the air and charging them once more.

This time, it was Valerie who made a shield out of her pink ectoplasm, but the Fright Knight stopped short and, instead of directing his attack at them, raised his sword high over his head then, with two hands on its hilt, plunged it down toward the earth.

"In the name of my lord and liege, Vlad Plasmius, I—" He stopped short when the point of his blade, rather than sinking into the ground, barely chipped at the frozen soil.

Danny finally stopped his assault and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he hovered a few feet in the air. "Frozen ground's a little hard on the old sword, eh Fright Nut?"

"But my blade cuts through _anything_. It's a _ghost_ sword!"

"And this is ghost _ice_."

While the Fright Knight was distracted, Valerie took another shot at him with a weapon Danny didn't even recognize, which hovered over her left shoulder. As the Fright Knight fell backwards once more, another figure slammed down beside him—a man clothed in a purple tunic and black cape with pale blue skin, a hooked nose, long, stringy gray hair, and red eyes. Behind him, Dora landed on her two hind feet, a satisfied smile on her dragon face, and a green amulet on a gold chain dangling from the claws of her right forefoot. Skulker, back in his cyber-armor once more, floated alongside Ember behind the great, blue dragon.

Without even raising himself from the ground, the Fright Knight let out a shrill whistle. A loud whinny came in response, and the Nightmare charged between Danny and Valerie, knocking them both aside. The armored ghost mounted his steed quickly, dragging the stringy-haired man with him and laying him prone across the horse's rump. "This is _your_ fault, Aragon! You were supposed to keep the humans from using their weapons!"

"I warned you that if my sister got her amulet back, she would counteract my powers. _You_ said she and the minstrel ghost had been dealt with!"

The Fright Knight didn't respond, but kicked his horse, sending her galloping upwards, flapping her great, black, bat-like wings. Danny, Valerie, and Skulker rose up after them to give chase, but they disappeared in a swirl of purple smoke.

A moment later, three skeleton ghosts came racing out of City Hall and down the steps, only to run into the ghost shield, which prevented them from getting _out_ just as well as it prevented them from getting _in_. Six humans came charging after them, Danny's dad in the lead. He nailed one of the three skeletons with his Bazooka, blasting it into fragments.

Jazz got the second one with a Jack o' nine tails, a whip-like device with several claw-ended tendrils and an image of their father's face in the middle. The tendrils wrapped around the ghost, shattering it. Sam blasted the third with a Fenton Wrist Ray, then sucked it, along with the loose bones from the other two skeletons, into a Fenton Thermos.

Behind them, Tucker appeared in the doorway of City Hall, his legs slightly spread and his hands on his hips in a classic Superman pose. "I told you, nobody takes City Hall on _my_ watch. This is _Mayor Foley's_ town!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_**City Hall  
Amity Park**_

Sam was putting the cap back on the Fenton Thermos when she saw the familiar flash of white light that accompanied Danny changing forms. She looked up in time to see him, now in human form and dressed in the jeans and t-shirt he'd been wearing at school earlier, running through the ghost shield around City Hall towards them.

Slipping her arm through the strap of the thermos and throwing it over her shoulder, she gave him a hard look. "Danny, are you nuts? There are a million police and firefighters everywhere, and you change back right in the middle of them?"

He brushed her off with a wave of his hand. "I was under the statue. And they're all too busy to notice anyway. Now, where'd my—Dad! There you are!"

Hefting his Fenton Bazooka over his ample shoulder, Mr. Fenton came around one of the columns along the City Hall building's portico. "Right here, son. Just mopping up the last of these bony spooks."

A mountain of a man with a square jaw, slate blue eyes, and close-cropped black hair that was just beginning to gray at the temples, Jack Fenton towered a good foot and a half over them and was almost as wide as he was tall. In his orange hazmat suit and the huge ecto weapon slung over his shoulder as if it were nothing more than a shotgun, he made for an imposing sight.

Or, rather, he would have, were it not for the fact that he wore that same hazmat suit to everything from parent/teacher conferences to family picnics, and anyone with even a passing knowledge of the man knew he was better at inventing weapons than he was at aiming them. Which was saying something, considering the fact that his failed inventions well outnumbered his successful ones by at least a four-to-one ratio. Childlike in his enthusiasm for all things otherworldly, he was more likely to embarrass Danny than he was to do any real damage. Still, Sam would've traded the big, teddy-bear-like man for her own uptight father in an instant.

Behind him, Danny's sister, Jazz, retracted her Jack o' nine tails and wiped her long, red hair away from her face with the back of her bare hand. Although she'd long since stopped calling her parents' interest in ghosts an "insane obsession" and had even become a capable ghost fighter in her own right, Jazz was still about as likely to exchange her street clothes for one of their hazmat suits as she was to settle for a B on her midterms or trade in her thick psychology textbooks for stack of comics. "I'm gonna go back and help Tucker make sure we got all the skeletons out of the building, 'kay Dad?"

"You got it, Jazzerincess. The Mansons and Mr. Gray are still in there, too."

She nodded, then jogged off as Danny ran up to his father. "Where's Mom? Did something happen to Danielle that Mom had to take care of? Is that why she isn't here?"

Mr. Fenton put out a black-gloved hand. "Whoa, slow down there. Dani-rella's fine. She just got a little woozy when we were loading up the R.V., so your mom thought she could use another dose of ecto-purifier, and she stayed behind to keep an eye on her."

Danny didn't look placated. "I've gotta go see her."

He turned away and ducked back out through the shield. Sam followed, catching up to him before he could go ghost and fly off. Reaching out, she caught him by the shoulder. "Danny, stop."

He shrugged her off, but did stop and face her. "I have to make sure she's okay, Sam."

Sam pressed her lips together, her heart aching at the tortured look in his eyes. She hated how he blamed himself for Dani's condition, for the raids on the town, for everything Vlad ever did to hurt anyone, but now wasn't the time for a lecture. "I know you do. I was just gonna offer to give you a ride. My car's parked out past all the police cars." She jerked her head in the direction of the street beyond the Danny Phantom statue. Fortunately, she'd parked far enough back that her car was well away from the trees burning on either side of the town square.

"It's faster if I fly."

"You just fought with two powerful ghosts. Give yourself a break." She frowned, noticing for the first time the bloody, jagged cut that ran from his left cheekbone down to his jaw. "And you've got a nasty scratch there."

"It's nothing." But as he put a reflexive hand to his cheek, his wince told her it hurt more than an ordinary scratch.

"It's not nothing. Did Aragon do that?"

"His tail spikes got me. But it's no big deal, Sam, really. I've gotten banged up worse than this. I'll put some antiseptic on it as soon as I get home and check on Dani."

"Let me drive you. Then I can clean it up while you're fussing over her."

Before he could respond, a jet engine roared overheard, drawing their attention upward, where Valerie was circling on her sled. She glided to a landing a dozen or so yards from them, the black sled disappearing from beneath her feet as soon as she hit the ground.

"There you are!" She strode toward them and, when she was close enough that she didn't have to shout to be heard above the din from the police and firefighters, she lowered her voice. "What are you doing? And why are you in human form? We need to be searching for the Fright Knight and Aragon. Maybe we'll finally find the portal you're so bent out of shape about."

"Our parents and Jazz can take care of that once City Hall is secured. I need to get home. Danielle... she had to get another dose of ecto-purifier. That's why my mom didn't show up with the rest of them."

Behind the tinted glass of her faceplate, Valerie's eyes widened in alarm. "Dani? Is she—?"

"She's fine," Mr. Fenton repeated, stepping through the shield to come up behind them. "Just a little woozy. You kids go home and check on her, make sure she's not giving Mrs. Fenton too much trouble. We'll take care of finding those ghosts and Vladdy's portal."

For just a moment, Sam saw a shadow cross Mr. Fenton's eyes as he said the name that had once been a fond diminutive for his best friend, and she realized that Danny wasn't the only one who blamed himself for the things Vlad had done. It was Mr. Fenton's very first prototype portal exploding in Vlad's face that had given him his original ghost powers, back in their college days, after all. Then, twenty years later, the same kind of accident with a larger version of the same portal had given his own son the same ghost powers. Vlad's accident, Danny's accident—and now Danielle and the monstrous way Vlad had not only brought her into this world but treated her ever since—all of that was because he'd once been Mr. Fenton's friend. It was a lot for one man to shoulder.

But as quickly as it came, the shadow was gone, and he was just Danny's goofy but loving dad again, giving his son a bolstering pat on the shoulder.

Danny was in no mood to be reassured, but before he could jerk away from his father's overtures, Skulker flew overhead and landed beside them, and Danny gave him a hopeful look. "Any luck finding them? Or the portal they used?"

Skulker grunted. "Nothing. No sign of them on my sensors."

A competitive glint lit up Mr. Fenton's eyes. "Maybe your sensors can't pick 'em up, but the scanners in the Fenton R.V will get 'em. There's not a ghost alive—er, in existence—who can hide from Jack Fenton."

Sam, Danny, Valerie, and Skulker all exchanged incredulous looks. Danny had done just that for two years before finally revealing to his parents that he was half ghost.

Oblivious to the irony, Mr. Fenton slapped Danny on the back. "We've got the spooks covered. You kids go on home."

Danny turned to Valerie. "You wanna come, too?"

Sam found herself toying with the green and gold ring on her left hand as she waited for Valerie's response, fighting against the urge to suggest Valerie just go after Vlad, that she and Danny could look after Danielle just fine. _It's not a competition, _she chided herself, looking at the ring, Danny's dad's old University of Wisconsin class ring with her name engraved inside the band. Danny had given it to her the night they'd gotten together. Sure, he'd once intended to give it to Valerie, but that was ancient history, and she and Valerie had put that all to rest months ago.

But that was before Danielle, this new and incredibly important person in Danny's life, and who did she bond with? _Valerie_. It drudged up all the old insecurities, and Sam hated it. She hated their relationship, this half-ghost girl who was, in a very real way, a part of everything Danny was, and his ex almost-girlfriend, the only other girl he'd ever had real feelings for. She hated how much they had in common, how quickly they'd become close, and how much it made her feel like an outsider.

But most of all, she hated that she hated it.

_Danielle's not Danny, Val has every right to be close to her, and you're better than this, Sam. _

Biting back the petty part of herself that begged to differ, she forced a smile. "Yeah, Val. I was just about to drive Danny home to see her." She gave Danny a pointed look before turning back to Valerie. "Why don't you come with us?"

With a sigh, Danny surrendered. "Yeah, okay, she's driving. Come with if you want, but we've gotta get going."

Valerie gave Sam a searching look, conflicted emotions plain in her eyes, and it was only then that Sam really saw _Valerie_, her friend, and not just Danny's ex. _She's worried about Danielle, but she's doesn't want _me_ to feel threatened. She hates this as much as I do._

With a heaping helping of self-flagellation and a smile that wasn't forced this time, Sam reassured her. "Really, you should come. Tucker's gonna be stuck here doing the mayor thing for a while, and it'll take two of us to keep Danny from hovering over Danielle like a mother hen."

That earned her a laugh from Valerie and a grunt of protest from Danny. "I'm not a mother hen."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Please. I keep expecting you to start laying eggs."

Danny glowered at them both, and Mr. Fenton gave him another pat on the back. "On your way, then. And fill your mother in on everything that went down here."

His back straightening just a little, Danny slipped into what Sam was beginning to think of as his General Mode. Even an indirect mention of their fight against Vlad would bring it out, overriding almost everything else. "Actually, we should probably get everyone together for a debriefing," He looked up at Skulker. "The ghosts too. Can you round up all the key players?"

Skulker nodded. "I think Technus will want to know about Aragon's ability."

"And Clockwork." Danny's eyes narrowed, General Mode in full force, analyzing the battle they'd just fought. "Vlad sending the Fright Knight to Amity Park is a shift in focus. We need to figure out if he's putting off the Ghost Zone and the Far Frozen to make a serious run at the Human World first, or if this is just some sort of distraction. On the upside, the school year officially ends—" He glanced at his watch. "End_ed_ three minutes ago, which means we'll have more time to focus on stopping Vlad and ending this stupid war for good."

Then, a little of Teenage Danny slipped through the General Mode as he added under his breath for Sam and Valerie's benefit, "Although, it did get us out of our last English class of the year. I don't think I could've hacked an hour with Lancer, even if we were just gonna watch a movie. Not after an hour of Falluca and trig."

Mr. Fenton either didn't hear the complaint about school or let it slide. "I'll add countering that ghost dragon's freaky fog to my weapons update list. And I need to fill everyone in on the progress in that department, too. The sonic component still has calibration issues for offensive use, but we've almost got the kinks worked out of the Fenton Freeze attachments. We could have everyone over, say around six, for a pow-wow and some grub. I'll throw something on the Fenton Grill."

Sam, Danny, and Valerie all winced. An Ultra Recyclo-Vegetarian, Sam was unlikely to be able to eat anything Mr. Fenton would choose to cook, but a more pressing concern was the grill itself. Any time Danny's dad used the word "Fenton" in front of an electronic device or appliance, the probability was high that he'd "modified" it, which never ended well—for the appliance _or_ its victims.

It was, no doubt, this latter concern that Danny shared. "Uh, Dad? Why don't we just order some pizzas from Crusty's? You're gonna be too busy trying to track down the Fright Knight and Aragon to worry about cooking."

"Good point, son. Okay, pizza it is. But make sure it's okay with your mom first. She's had her head in some project the last couple of days, and you know how she gets. The last time I forget to tell her I'd invited people over to the house when she was in the middle of a project... let's just say, it wasn't pretty."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Sam couldn't help but notice that Danny was quiet the entire drive back to his house. With no more strategy to discuss, the General was gone, leaving just the crushing weight of his worry for Danielle. When Sam pulled up alongside the curb in front of his house, he was out of the car, up the porch steps, and through the front door before she could even put on the parking brake.

From the back seat, Valerie leaned forward, her long hair falling over her shoulder. In street clothes, without her battle suit, she looked every bit the fashion-conscious popular girl she used to be. "What was that you were saying about the boy being a mother hen?"

Sam sighed as she turned off the ignition. "He blames himself for what Vlad did to her."

"Duh. He blames himself for what Vlad does to _everybody_."

"This is different. Because of..." She hesitated. "You know."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence. Thinking about who Danielle really was and what Vlad had done to... _create_ her made Sam's head hurt just on general principle. Trying to talk about it with Valerie, of all people...

She wasn't alone in her discomfort. Abruptly, Valerie pushed forward the passenger seat so she could climb out of the car. "Well, we should get in there before he smothers her to death." There was humor in her tone, but it was underlaid with the clear message: _Time to change the topic. _

"Right behind you," Sam said, grateful for the much safer common ground they shared—mocking Danny. She slid out of the car and jogged around its front end to catch up with Valerie on the porch steps. "Hopefully, we'll make it up there before he breaks out the bubble wrap and starts bundling her up in it."

Danny had left the door wide open when he'd rushed in, but Valerie paused on the porch steps and looked up. At first Sam thought she was looking at the green-and-orange-lighted FENTONWORKS sign that hung out over the front steps, but then she realized she was looking past it, up to the roof and the Op-Center, a big, metal addition that had turned the Fentons' modest, two-story row house into what looked like some sort of low-rent trailer park for aliens.

Understanding what Valerie was thinking, Sam put her hand on the other girl's shoulder. "I don't think she's up there. Mr. Fenton said she wasn't that bad, so I'm betting she's in her room."

At least that's what Sam hoped. If Dani were really sick, Mrs. Fenton would be treating her in the Op-Center which, despite its ungainly, bulbous appearance, was actually a high-tech research center. While the basement lab and its Ghost Portal were the heart of FentonWorks, the Op-Center was its brain, and it was the best place to care for a half-ghost whose health was failing because of a near-lethal injection of ectoranium.

In the month since they'd rescued Danielle from Vlad, they'd learned to hate seeing that Op-Center decked out as a hospital.

Valerie nodded, and they headed into the house and up the stairs. Halfway up, they heard Mrs. Fenton's voice coming from the second floor, and they breathed twin sighs of relief. Not in the Ops-Center.

Quickening their pace, they took the rest of the steps two at a time, then hurried down the hall, bypassing the doors to both Danny's and Jazz's room as they headed for the former guest room the Fentons had converted into a bedroom for Danielle.

"Are you sure you're okay? That scratch looks nasty." Mrs. Fenton was hovering over Danny, trying to get a look at his cheek as Sam and Valerie entered the room. A slender, lithe woman with chin-length auburn hair, bright indigo eyes, and a figure that would have made Angelina Jolie turn green, Maddie Fenton seemed an odd match for her large and somewhat oafish husband.

But only on a surface level. Her obsession with all things ghostly rivaled his, and her blue hazmat suit, with its hood and bug-eyed goggles, was as ever-present and outlandish as his orange one, although she at least had the build to pull it off.

At the moment, however, hood and goggles were absent, and they could see the concern in Mrs. Fenton's eyes as she examined the gash on her son's face.

Danny leaned away from her, scowling. "Mom, it's no big deal. Just tell me what's wrong with Dani. Why'd you have to stay home with her?"

"It's really nothing more than precaution." Then, she caught sight of Sam and Valerie, and a smile lit up her face, returning the usual warmth and _joie de vivre_ back to her eyes, the kind that put Sam's own parents' plastic "attitude of gratitude" claptrap to shame. "Oh, hello, girls." Turning back to Danny, she continued her attempt at placating him. "Dani got a little light-headed, so I thought it best to play it safe and give her another dose of ecto-purifier."

"I didn't even need that much." The pout in Dani's voice matched the one on her face as she sat up on top of the covers of her bed, fully dressed, leaning back against a stack of pillows and looking about as happy to be there as Sam would be at cheerleader camp.

And even though it had been a whole month since Danielle had come to live with the Fentons and Sam had learned the truth about who she really was, just looking at her could still make Sam's heart ache. The way she wore her long hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, leaving nothing in front but a thick crop of black bangs that framed her face in the exact same way Danny's did. The way her eyes were the exact same shade of blue as his as she gave Mrs. Fenton the exact same look of annoyance that Sam had seen so many times before on Danny's face when his parents were making him crazy. How could she have missed it? How could she have ever believed that the two of them were mere cousins and not much more closely related?

_Vlad did this. Vlad did this to Danny, stole his DNA and made a whole new person with it..._

Danny himself was more concerned about his look-alike's current condition, and he continued to press his mother. "You wouldn't give her a shot of ecto-purifier just for a little light-headedness. She must be sicker than you're telling me. Did she try to use her powers?"

Danielle's pout turned into a scowl. "I'm right here, you know. You could ask _me_. And for the record: no, I didn't use my powers."

"She didn't," Mrs. Fenton confirmed. "And it wasn't a shot. I just gave her an oral solution."

Valerie, whom Sam had almost forgotten was there, stepped closer to the bed. "What's the difference? It's still like poison for ghosts, isn't it?" Her eyes were more guarded than Danny's, but Sam could still read the worry there.

Mrs. Fenton gave her a comforting smile. "I wouldn't call it _poison_, exactly. Ecto-purifier is chiefly a chemical we use in the ecto-filtrator on the Ghost Portal to keep impurities from the Ghost Zone from gumming up the human technology, but it does have some medicinal uses as well. I came up with an oral solution to cure Sam and Tucker of a nasty case of ecto-acne a couple of years ago. In that form, it's like... alka-seltzer for ecto impurities."

Valerie wrinkled her nose. "What the heck is ecto-acne? Sounds disgusting."

Grimacing, Sam answered for her. "Don't ask. Something Vlad infected me and Tucker with a couple years ago."

"He had it, too," Mrs. Fenton reminded them. "And he's also taken the oral solution, with no long-term effects to his ghost powers." The slight curl to her lip indicated she wished otherwise.

Danny wore a similar expression. "But Dani doesn't have ecto-acne."

"Or a hearing problem, or brain damage." Danielle glared up at them from the bed. "So you can stop talking about me like I'm not in the room. I'm _fine_."

Mrs. Fenton smiled at her. "Of course you're fine, sweetie. You've come a long way since the night Danny brought you here, but you're not a hundred percent. We'll never completely flush the ectoranium from your system. It will always be there, waiting to flare up and attack you, especially if you use your powers. And sometimes even if you don't."

"Like a cancer patient in remission." Valerie's voice was low, and Sam could hear the mix of pain and anger in it.

Mrs. Fenton nodded. "Much like that, yes. And the ecto-purifier injections are a bit like chemotherapy. Much more potent than the oral solution. It suppresses her ghost powers so that the ectoranium has nothing to feed off of and attack"

"And makes it so I can never go ghost again." Dani's tone was matter-of-fact, but Sam knew she still resented the loss of her powers.

Well, not all her powers. She could still can turn invisible and intangible, and even float a little before the ectoranium would make her sick again. She even had some ice powers like Danny's, although Mrs. Fenton had said she didn't think they'd fully developed when Vlad poisoned her, and using them seemed to make her sicker than using her more standard powers.

But none of it was the same as being able to actually go ghost, and that was a loss Dani was still grieving. "Vlad took that from me, like he took everything else. My ghost powers, the first twelve years of my life, my home—"

"_This_ is your home." The hurt in Danny's voice made Sam wince. "And he didn't take everything. He didn't take me."

"Or any of us," Valerie added.

Danny nodded. "Right. We're your family, Dani, and he can't take that from you, not ever. He can't take away who you _are_."

She let out a sound something like a bitter laugh. "And who is that? Two years ago I didn't even _exist_. I feel like I'm fourteen, but twelve years of that is all a lie made up of accelerated growth and twelve years of learning literally crammed into my brain all at once. In the Ghost Zone, none of that mattered because everyone's origin is different, but in the human world you have _be_ someone."

"You _are_ someone. You're Danielle Fenton."

"Only because Sam used her trust fund and her grandma's dodgy contacts from her hippie days to buy me the papers that say I am. Fake birth certificate, fake social security, fake parents, fake parents' death, fake will naming 'cousin' Jack and his wife my legal guardians, fake homeschooling records for a fake nine years of schooling for a fake fourteen years of a fake life. The best fake identity money can buy for the fake girl Vlad conjured up out of air."

Sam bit the inside of her cheek, feeling like an interloper in what should have been a private family affair. She knew she'd overstepped her bounds getting those papers for the Fentons, but she'd felt so helpless when she'd first heard who Dani was and how she'd come to be, and this was something she could actually _do_ to help her. To help Danny.

And he'd been grateful, of course. His whole family was. But it was an uncomfortable kind of gratitude, the kind for which there was tacit agreement by all parties involved to never, ever discuss. Dani breaking that unspoken rule brought an awkward silence to the room, and Sam found herself struggling in an attempt to fill it. "Dani, I..."

Danny cut her off. "Why do we keep having this conversation? Vlad didn't conjure you up out of air, he conjured you up out of DNA. That's real, Dani, as real as anybody here. And you're not a Fenton because Sam got you a piece of paper that says you are. You're a Fenton because you were _born_ a Fenton, and that's real, too."

"I wasn't born at all!"

Mrs. Fenton stepped around her son to sit beside Danielle on her bed. "You listen to me, young lady. It doesn't matter how you got here or if you don't have the first clue who you are. Most humans spend our whole lives figuring out who we are, so even if you did miss the first twelve years of that process, you still have a long time ahead of you to work it out. What matters is, you _are_ here. With your family, where you belong."

While her words seemed to have the intended effect of bolstering Danielle, Sam couldn't help but notice the opposite effect they'd had on Danny. His shoulders stooped under the weight of what Sam knew he heard as an indictment of his failure to bring Danielle home sooner.

_Who's responsible for her? _his mother had asked the night they'd rescued her from Vlad and brought her to FentonWorks for help.

_I am_, Danny had answered and, even then, before any of them knew Danielle wasn't just some distant cousin, the burden and self-reproach in his voice had been unmistakable. In the month since, he still hadn't managed to forgive himself.

Unaware of the salt she'd unintentionally poured into her son's wound, Mrs. Fenton sat back, slapping her hand down on the bed. "All right then. Now that that's settled, let's hear about whatever set off that Ghost Alert. And where are your father and sister?"

Sam could've kissed her, because as quickly as her earlier words had heaped coals on Danny's head, these last ones brushed them away as he immediately shifted into General Mode. "Vlad sent a bunch of skeleton warriors to attack City Hall. Dad, Jazz, and everyone are trying to see if they can track the ones that got away back to the Ghost Zone, and maybe find Vlad's portal."

Mrs. Fenton grimaced. "Was it that mummy ghost leading them again?"

Danny glanced at Danielle. "No. He sent Aragon. And the Fright Knight."

Mrs. Fenton and Dani's eyes both widened, but for different reasons. "The Fright Knight?" Danny's mom asked. "Isn't that Vlad's second in command? That's a bold move."

Danielle crossed her arms. "And Aragon. I hope you kicked his dragon butt from here to the Ghost Zone after what he did to Dora's kingdom."

Sam grinned. "Actually, Dora took care of that herself. Talk about your dragon-girl power. She's really come a long way from her princesses-are-supposed-to-smile-look-pretty-and-live-happily-ever-after days"

A smile broke out across Dani's face. "Dora's here?" Then she frowned, the pout back. "And I missed her?"

"She'll probably be coming by later," Danny told her, then turned to his mom. "Actually, we were thinking of having a meeting here around six. All the key players—humans and ghosts. We need to get a report on how the weapons modifications are coming, touch base with Frostbite and what Vlad's doing to try and take the Far Frozen, and we've got some new stuff to figure out, like how to counter a nasty little power Aragon has that takes out all our tech, and why Vlad sent his number two guy to Amity Park before he's gotten all of the Ghost Zone under his control."

Mrs. Fenton looked horrified. "All those people—and ghosts!—over here? _Tonight_? But the house is a mess, and what am I going to feed that many people?"

"We were gonna order some pizzas from Crusty's. And the house looks fine, Mom."

She sighed. "Well, I suppose. And I have a theory I've been developing that I need to share with everyone."

"Dad said you were working on something. Will it help take down Vlad?"

"Maybe. It's just a theory, though. I have a lot of work left to do. But I suppose we do need to get everyone together, and it might as well be here. But _you_ have to clean the house, mister. And your sister can help when she gets back."

In an instant, the General was gone, and Danny was just a teenager who didn't want to do his chores. "_Mo-om!_ The house is fine! And I have friends over." He indicated Sam and Valerie with a jerk of his head.

"Don't worry about it, Danny," Valerie said quickly. "We can help straighten up a little. Although the house really does look fine, Mrs. Fenton. Better than our house. Sometimes I think we'll be living out of boxes the rest of our lives. Not that I'm complaining. Anything's better than that crummy apartment."

Mrs. Fenton smiled. "You and your dad just moved in a week ago. Give yourself some time to settle in." To Danny, she said, "You'd better get busy if you're going to have this house in shape for company by six o'clock. But first, let's get that scrape on your cheek cleaned up."

He scowled. "It's just a scratch, Mom. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

Sam had to admit, it did already look much better. One of the side benefits of his ghost powers was quick healing.

His mom crossed her arms. "Then get to work."

"What about Danielle? Why doesn't she help if she's so 'fine?'"

Dani scrunched down against her pillows, affecting a pained expression. "I'm recovering. Probably shouldn't do too much right now."

"That's right," Mrs. Fenton agreed. "She should rest now, then she can come down for the meeting." She shook her head. "The Fright Knight and Aragon attacking Amity Park. What is Vlad up to?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_**Pariah's Keep  
The Ghost Zone**_

Vlad Plasmius paced the length of the Great Hall of Pariah's Keep before his two kneeling servants, his hands clasped behind his back. Well, perhaps _hands_ and _clasped_ were more euphemisms than reality. In his anti-ghost form, which resembled a green cloud of gas that was, paradoxically, quite solid, his shape suggested humanoid form more than actually was humanoid. He had a torso, from which extended two arms, two legs, and a short neck topped off by a rounded head, but finer details such as hands, fingers, and facial features beyond his glowing, red eyes and the barest outline of a mouth were largely absent. Nevertheless, as he glowered down at his servants, he knew that they could read his displeasure perfectly well.

He could read their emotions, too, despite their bowed heads. They reeked of failure and fear, along with animosity and blame toward each other. This was both good and bad.

The fear was good, of course, and even the failure was no more than he'd expected. Their assault on Amity Park had been a test run, nothing more. Vlad had no more expected them to succeed than he'd expect these two willful, power-hungry ghosts, each with his own agenda, to suddenly become bosom friends. Even their animosity and competitiveness with each other were things he could use for his own ends.

But only to a point. In order for them to function as a cohesive team, their loyalty to him must outweigh their competitiveness with each other. Like unruly children, they'd allowed their own squabbles to interfere with their duty to Father. And like a father, he would now have to discipline his children so that they would never forget that duty.

As Vlad paced, he could feel his servants' restlessness coming off them in waves. It was Aragon who caved first, daring to look up and speak before spoken to. "My... lord—"

Vlad spun to face him, his eyes burning as he glared down at the greasy-haired, hook-nosed ghost. "I don't want excuses, Aragon. You failed. It's that simple."

Aragon's back stiffened. "It was the Fright Knight who failed. I made it very clear that my sister would be able to counter the effects of the clouds that make time stand still and render modern technology useless. He was the one who assured me she had been dealt with."

Even through his black armor, the Fright Knight's fury was plain. "I removed her amulet as you suggested, and still she came back as a dragon."

Vlad waved his hand at the Fright Knight while looking at Aragon. "Does she have more than one amulet?"

His cheek twitched. "It's... possible. We each have two—the ones we've had since childhood and the ones that we inherited from our parents. The amulet the Fright Knight took was the Queen's Amulet. She must still have her original Lesser Amulet as well."

The Fright Knight shook with rage. "You might have mentioned that to me!"

"If you would have done a better job of containing her and that minstrel ghost, it wouldn't have mattered!"

"And if you weren't so weak that your sister could constantly get the better of you, she wouldn't have needed to be contained in the first place!"

Vlad intervened before the fight spun completely out of control. "Enough bickering. Dora isn't the issue."

"She is if I'm expected to control the technology the humans use to fight us."

"You couldn't even control all their technology before Dora showed up," the Fright Knight retorted. "The ghost hunter girl still had use of her rocket sled and her entire arsenal."

Vlad cocked his head. "Valerie? Her weapons still worked?"

"I-I have no idea how." Confusion mixed with fear in Aragon's eyes. "Even that idiot Skulker's mechanical suit failed, but the girl's suit did not. I cannot explain it."

"Curious." Vlad had provided Valerie's original suit and knew its schematics and capabilities inside and out, but somewhere along the way she'd managed to upgrade on her own. Eventually, he would have to get a hold of her and examine her new equipment for himself.

But that was a project for another day. "No matter. My little protégée can wait. As for Dora, she isn't the issue. We have more important things to discuss. Like taking the last remnant in the Ghost Zone."

The Fright Knight's eyes narrowed. "You know we can't get a foothold in the Far Frozen. The physical properties of the land and the powers of Frostbite and his people repel even your ectoranium powers. My lord."

Vlad chose to ignore the way he added the deferential address only as an afterthought. "Oh, we'll gain more than a foothold."

Now the green glowing eyes in the depth of the knight's black helmet widened in surprise. "You found—?"

Vlad nodded. "I did indeed. We will need to mount another attack on the Human World."

"I shall take a legion of skeleton warriors at once—"

"No," Vlad interrupted. "Aragon will lead the attack."

The effect was immediate. Aragon's lips curved into a tight smile and his eyes glowed in barely-concealed triumph, while the Fright Knight all but exploded. "Aragon? Lead a mission of such vital importance? But, my lord—"

Vlad held up his hand, cutting him off. "I didn't say lead the _mission_. I said lead the _attack_. Your role will be more... surgical."

Mollified, the Fright Knight bowed his head. "Yes, of course."

Vlad turned his gaze to the ousted prince. "As for you, Aragon, this assignment is not a reward for your leadership, but a test of your ability to follow _me_. And we have much to discuss." The threat he put into those words was as much for the Fright Knight's benefit as for Aragon's. Better to have him leave on his errand secure in the belief that he was the favored one and Aragon was being punished, lest their rivalry cross the line from useful to dangerous. Despite all Vlad's power, so much of his plan hinged on each of them and their unique abilities.

That was why he had to maintain the delicate balance. Play the two off each other... without permitting their mutual animosity to become larger than his purpose for them. Feed their enormous egos... without letting them know exactly how crucial their respective roles were. Keep them in line through fear of his immense power... without ever allowing them to discover how much that power drained him and how dependent he was on the dark energy only one thing, one place could provide. If either of them, especially the Fright Knight, suspected that they sometimes met there not because of its inaccessibility to ghosts and humans alike but, rather, for the energy that fed his powers...

Toward the end of keeping that particular secret—and because he was beginning to feel his strength ebbing—Vlad turned to the Fright Knight. "We will not plan this next strike here. The castle is too exposed."

He could feel the Fright Knight bristle, although he was wise enough to attempt to hide his displeasure. "Understood. My lord." The shallow bow he performed was as stiff and brittle as his voice, but Vlad let that slide as well. He didn't have to like Vlad's usurping his dominion, so long as he accepted it.

When he left the Great Hall, Vlad triggered the energy that transformed him with a flash of green light back into his human form. In an almost pleasant tone, he turned to his other servant. "Now, Prince Aragon. Let's have a little chat, shall we?" With a congenial arm over the prince's shoulders, Vlad ushered him toward the castle's banquet hall. "Care for some tea and snickerdoodles?"

* * *

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

"Looks like... snickerdoodles."

"What?" Sam looked up from her seat next to Valerie at the Fenton's kitchen table to where Danny was standing at the counter, peering into a cookie jar.

"We have Snickerdoodles. My mom baked 'em yesterday. I'm pretty sure they have butter in them, though. Sorry, Sam."

Sam smiled. After five years and some thousands of meals together, Danny was finally figuring out the nuances of her vegan diet. "Thanks anyway."

"Just a diet cola for me," Valerie said.

"Okay. Maybe there's something in the fridge we can snack on before we break out the mops."

He moved over to the refrigerator and was just beginning to rummage through it when the back door slammed open and Mr. Fenton's booming voice rang out. "We'll catch 'em next time, Jazzy-pants. Only so many places you can hide a Ghost Portal."

"Well, at least we got all the skeleton warriors," came Jazz's voice in response. "Maybe Mom can study some of the bone fragments and figure out what exactly those things are and how they reanimate after they've been blown apart."

Straightening, Danny peered around the refrigerator door as his father came into the kitchen. "No sign of the Fright Knight and Aragon, I take it? Oh, and Jazz, Mom says you have to help clean the house before everyone comes over tonight."

"What? Why do _I_ have to help clean? It's _your _party!"

"Right. Because my idea of a party involves all my friends' parents and a whole bunch of ghosts."

Mr. Fenton crossed his arms and looked down at Jazz. "Stow your gear, then do what your mother says, little missy. And no, son, no luck finding those spooks. They vanished without a trace."

Danny slammed the refrigerator door closed, Valerie's cola forgotten. "Darn it! How does he manage to hide something as big as a Ghost Portal? Oh, hi, Mr. Gray, Mr. and Mrs. Foley," he added as three more people came into the kitchen.

The first was Valerie's dad, Damon Gray, a burly ex-marine with a thick mustache, eyes the same shade of green as his daughter's, and thick glasses. An IT engineer for Axiom Labs, he was also something of a techno-geek, but with a Fenton Bazooka hoisted over his shoulder, he definitely looked more marine than geek at the moment. He nodded in response to Danny's greeting before noticing Valerie sitting at the table. "Hey, baby girl. How's Dani?"

"She's okay, Daddy."

"Oh, good." That was Tucker's mom, coming in behind Mr. Gray. "I was just going to ask how she is." A petite woman with warm violet eyes and medium-length hair straightened into a sleek, black wave, Angela Foley always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. Her husband Maurice, the last to enter the kitchen, looked like an older version of Tucker, only with a mustache similar to Mr. Gray's.

Danny looked grateful for their concern. "My mom says she just got a little woozy, that's all. Thanks for asking."

Sam felt a stab of envy. If only her parents could be like that. While Tucker's mom didn't know who Danielle really was—only a very select few knew her true origins—she did know she was a half-ghost, but that didn't stop her from caring about her welfare.

"Anytime, dear." Mrs. Foley gave him a warm smile. "Oh, and before I forget, Tucker said to tell you he's got some work to finish up over at City Hall, but he'll be over in time for dinner. Just make sure to order—"

"The Super Meaty Deluxe," Danny finished along with her. "Got it. I—"

He stopped short, his expression abruptly shifting into the guilty cringe of a puppy who'd been caught making a mess on the carpet. "Uh... hello, Mr. and Mrs. Manson."

Sam hissed out a breath through her teeth and braced for the nastiness she knew was about to smack Danny in the face as her parents entered the kitchen. Tall, thin, and blond with ice-blue eyes, her father looked like he'd stepped out of a Ralph Lauren catalog, from his argyle sweater vest to his three-hundred-dollar loafers.

Her mother, impossibly, was even worse. Petite like Mrs. Foley, but with a fashion sense more along the lines of June Cleaver, she wore floral print dresses, white gloves, and her red hair in a bouffant straight out of the fifties. Had it not been for the Fenton Blaster in her hand and some splotches of green on her husband's sleeve that probably came from the Fenton Phaser he was holding, Sam might have thought they'd both been at a PTA luncheon rather than blasting skeleton warriors at City Hall.

As it was, it was like they were some sort of alternate universe, through-the-looking-glass versions of her parents. Never in a million years would Sam have imagined them casually walking into Jack Fenton's kitchen carrying weapons he'd invented. The Fentons, with their strange house and even stranger passion for ghost-fighting weren't exactly her parents' kind of people.

Not that they were snobs. Their wealth put them in the highest membership level at Amity Country Club, true, but they didn't look down their noses at people like the Fentons just because they couldn't buy a yacht or ten. Mr. Gray had gone through a bankruptcy a few years back and lived in an Elmerton tenement until very recently, and they were fine with him.

No, her parents' issue was that they liked everything in their lives to be _normal_. And the Fentons were about as normal as Mr. Fenton was scrawny. But when Vlad reemerged, they'd put that aside to help fight him, a fact that Sam might have been proud of had their reluctant tolerance of the Fentons' weirdness extended to Danny, as well.

But it didn't. Not since they'd learned the truth about him.

So, instead of responding to Danny's polite greeting in kind, like any decent human being would do, her father looked at him like he was something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "Daniel."

Danny flinched. Not enough for her dad to notice, but enough for Sam to notice. Anger flaring, she stood up from the table, ready to light into her father, but Danny caught her eye and shook his head. Mr. Fenton, meanwhile, oblivious to the interchange, ushered her parents down into the basement along with Jazz, Mr. Gray, and the Foleys to stow their weapons and clean up.

When the door closed behind them, Danny let out a long breath. "Just leave it be, Sam, okay?"

"No, I will _not_ just leave it be. They can't keep treating you like this."

Valerie raised her eyebrows at Danny. "Her parents really warming up to you, huh?"

He leaned back against the counter. "Oh, yeah. If they get any warmer, I'd start worrying about the polar ice caps melting."

Sam's hands curled into fists at her side. "I knew this would happen if you told them who you really are. At least when they thought you were fully human they tolerated you—"

"Which you hated, I seem to recall. When they actually were warming up to me, you were mad. When they hate me, you're mad. You're not going to be happy with them no matter what they do, so why don't you just drop it?"

"No, I hated _you_ sucking up to them. This is even worse." Slamming herself back down into her chair, she grunted in frustration. "God, I miss the days when it was just you, me, and Tuck."

"Thaaaaaanks." Valerie gave her a sideways glance.

Sam sighed. "Sorry, Val. I don't mean you."

"Yes, you do. But I get that. I wasn't exactly open-minded about ghosts. Especially not Danny Phantom."

"Yeah, but that was then. I'm not sorry you know _now_. Or Jazz, or Danny's folks, for that matter. But it's just gotten completely out of hand since Antarctica. Your dad, Mr. Lancer, seventy-some _complete strangers_—"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Who all promised they wouldn't tell anyone. Gave me a signed paper and everything, remember? All so I could have a normal life." He snorted. "You know, when I'm not fighting a civil war in the Ghost Zone."

"Oh, please! That is _so_ not why they did it. They saw what was happening out there. The politicians and the ectophobes didn't even wait twenty-four hours after you and every ghost in the Ghost Zone saved the world from that asteroid before they started in on the fear mongering. 'Ghosts are _unnatural_. Ghost should be _detained_.' And we all know what _that's_ a euphemism for. So, what do you go and do? Tell _my parents_, who are exactly the kind of people they were trying to protect you _from_!"

He gave her a tired look. "Really, Sam? Are we really gonna do this _again_? With your parents _right downstairs_?"

Valerie stood up from the table. "Tell you what. You two call me when the war's over. This one or the one with Vlad, whichever comes first." As she left the room, Sam heard her mutter in a stage-whisper, "Oh, who am I kidding? Vlad'll be long gone before _this_ war is over."

Danny sighed. "She's right. The war we need to be fighting is with Vlad, and your parents are a part of it. Tucker's, too. That's why I had to tell them. But more importantly, your parents need to know the truth because... well, because they're your parents and I love you."

She was mad enough that even the "I love you" failed to soften her. "They almost called the Guys in White on you, Danny! An entire government agency dedicated to eradicating ghosts, with you at the top of the list, and my parents almost handed you over to them. They would have, too, if my grandmother hadn't stopped them."

He regarded her a moment, then pushed himself off from the counter to join her at the table, sliding into the seat Valerie had vacated. Taking her hands in his, he held her left hand up in front of her. "Sam, look."

She jerked her hands away from him. "Your dad's class ring. So?"

"You know what this ring means, Sam. It's my promise to you, and not just as my girlfriend. In Antarctica, you told me to take this ring with me when I went after all the ghosts, and you made me promise to bring it back to you."

Pressing her lips together, she nodded. "Because if you promised to bring it back, I knew I'd see you again."

"And I did bring it back, didn't I? And when you gave it to me again when all this stuff with Vlad started, I promised to bring it back to you then, too, and I did. And I'll bring it back to you the next time, and the time after that and the time after that. That's my promise to you. But you have to promise me you'll stop worrying so much about stuff like the Guys in White, okay? We can't keep having this same argument over and over again."

"I can't stop worrying about the Guys in White because I know exactly what they'd do to you if they found who you are. But that's not why I'm mad, Danny."

"Then what is it?"

"It's that my parents know what they'd do to you, too, and they _were going to call them anyway._"

He sighed. "But they didn't, so why can't you let it go?"

"Because _I_ love _you_, and I can't stand the way the treat you! You saved their lives, and they treat you like dirt!"

His face softened from frustration to remorse. "I also lied to them, Sam. In a really big way for a long time. About myself, about you and me... They have a right to be really, really ticked."

"They don't have a right to treat you like you're subhuman!"

"They have a right to make sure I never see you again—at least not until we're both eighteen—and they haven't done that, so I'm gonna call it good enough, okay? Just... leave it alone. Please? I don't want to make anything worse. Especially now, with this big meeting tonight. It's hard enough to keep the ghosts all on our side. The last thing we need is to alienate any of the humans."

Sam glared at him a moment, but then relented with a sigh. "Fine. I'll leave it alone." Then, silently, she added, _For now_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

It was quite possibly the most incongruent scene Danny could ever have imagined.

The pizzas had arrived minutes before the last of the guests did, making the first half hour of the strange gathering more like the party Jazz had claimed it to be than the war council it actually was. Ghosts were mingling with humans—and not just any humans, but Danny's and his friends' _parents_—eating pizza and drinking sodas as if they were neighbors down the street rather than unearthly beings from another realm, many of whom spent most of their days trying to devise new ways to wreak havoc in the Human World and make life miserable for the very humans with whom they were now socializing.

Danny's dad, Skulker, Mr. Gray, and Technus, the self-proclaimed Ghost Master of Technology, still sporting his ridiculous Matrix-with-a-mullet look, were in the kitchen talking shop, comparing this weapon to that and trying to one-up each other as to whose technical skills were superior.

Danny's mom and Jazz were in the front hall with Clockwork, the Master of Time, and Frostbite, the leader of the white, fur-covered snow creatures who lived in the part of the Ghost Zone known as the Far Frozen. They were discussing science or philosophy or some other subject that was so far over Danny's head that even his ability to fly couldn't have helped him reach it.

Dora was in her human-like form, with blonde hair pulled back away from her green face into a long braid and, much to Sam's approval, she'd traded the medieval princess gown she used to wear while under her brother's rule for a blue and green dragon-scale jumpsuit, not unlike Valerie's battle suit. The feminist upgrade, however, didn't stop her from exchanging cookie recipes with Mrs. Foley and Mrs. Manson around the coffee table in the living room, while the two human women's husbands were clustered near the stairs getting golf tips from one of Frostbite's advisors, another snow creature named Hailstone. Apparently he was the Jack Nicklaus of the Far Frozen, not that Danny had any idea who Jack Nicklaus was or how a group of ten-foot-tall Yeti managed to play golf in the frozen wasteland they called home.

Across the room, Valerie, Danielle, and Ember were arguing over styles of music and the merits—or lack thereof—of various popular bands and singers, with the only consensus being that boy bands were universally lame. The Box Ghost, meanwhile, flitted around from group to group, trying unsuccessfully to insert himself into each conversation.

From their perch on the landing above the living room, Danny, Sam, and Tucker surveyed the scene below, their legs poking through the railing and dangling over the side. Danny drained the last of rootbeer from the can in his hand, then leaned forward, resting his arms on the lower railing as he watched the ghosts and humans mingle. "This is officially the weirdest night of my life."

"I know, right?" Sam set down her slice of veggie and soy-cheese pizza onto the plate in her lap. "You know that one time I said we were gonna have tea and cookies with Skulker? I was being _ironic_."

Tucker shrugged. "Well, pizza and soda with Skulker is a _little_ less weird than tea and cookies. But this still rates pretty high on the freak-o-meter, even for us. You'd think on the last day of school we'd be at the Nasty Burger or something, celebrating with our fellow newly-crowned seniors. But, no. We're having pizza with ghosts."

"It's not the ghosts that have me weirded out," Danny said. "After three Christmas Eves in the Ghost Zone, I've gotten kinda used to the whole party-with-you-today, put-your-pelt-on-my-wall-tomorrow thing they've got going. It's that they're _here_. In _FentonWorks_. With all our _parents_."

"I know!" Sam shook her head in disbelief. "My dad just got advice on how to swing a nine iron from a Yeti, and my mom is explaining how to roll the perfect rugelach to a dragon. I think we've officially left the Ghost Zone and crossed over into the Twilight Zone."

"Ah, well. At least the Twilight Zone has good pizza." Tucker reached for the box of Super Meaty Deluxe that was sitting beside him, but before he could get his hand on it, it jerked away from him, seemingly of its own accord, dumping pizza out onto the landing with a greasy splatter.

"BEWARE!"

Far from frightened, Danny groaned. "_Great_. Now there's pizza sauce all over the carpet. My mom is _so_ gonna kill me."

"Forget the carpet!" Tucker shot an accusing glare toward the hovering pizza box. "Look what you did to the pizza! Would you cut it out, already?"

A pudgy blue ghost wearing a stocking cap and workman's coveralls materialized, holding the box aloft in one gloved hand like a trophy. "I will not cut it out, for I am the Box Ghost! Fear my Pizza Box of _Annihilation_!" He waggled the fingers of his free hand for emphasis.

Sam gave him a bored look. "It was a lot scarier before you dumped out the animal carcass pizza."

"Please." Tucker gave an indignant sniff. "That slimy gunk you call 'cheese' is _way_ scarier than anything on the Super Meaty Deluxe."

Danny sighed, tuning out his two best friends' perpetual argument over their mutually exclusive diets as he looked up at the interloper. "Box Ghost, go scare somebody else, wouldja? Like, I don't know, _Vlad_ maybe? _We're_ supposed to all be on the same side, remember?" He indicated the room in general with a twirl of his finger.

"Never fear! He will taste my corrugated cardboard wrath soon enough!" The Box Ghost flashed him what Danny figured was supposed to be a menacing leer, but came off more like a loopy grin, before disappearing, along with Tucker's pizza box.

"Why is he even here?" Sam asked Danny.

"How should I know? Skulker was the one who got word out to the ghosts who are leading the fight against Vlad, not me. The Box Ghost must've invited himself, though, 'cause I kinda doubt Skulker would go out of his way to bring in the Clown of Cardboard."

"Hey! I heard that!"

Ignoring the disembodied voice, Danny pulled his legs out from the railing and climbed to his feet. "I think that's my cue to get this thing started before the Box Ghost dumps _all_ the leftover pizza onto my mom's carpet." Then, he triggered the twin rings of light that transformed him into ghost form.

Tucker and Sam stood up along with him, Tucker stopping to mourn the demise of the Super Meaty Deluxe while scooping its remains onto a paper plate. As they made their way downstairs, the various conversational groups began breaking up, humans and ghosts alike following Danny's lead and cleaning up what was left of their pizzas and soda, then making their way to the living room to find a seat—or hover over one, as was the case with many of the ghosts—and wait for Danny to get things rolling.

A few short months ago, this deference being afforded to him by humans and ghosts alike would have unsettled Danny, particularly when the humans included all their parents and the ghosts included both those he considered mentors, like Clockwork and Frostbite, and a good number of his usual foes.

In the three months since Vlad's re-emergence, however, Danny had adjusted to his role as a key leader in the fight against him. As the only being among them with a foot in both the Human World and the Ghost Zone, not to mention his past experience facing Vlad as an arch nemesis, Danny knew he was uniquely situated to work with humans and ghosts alike to forge cooperation between the two groups. The weight of his responsibilities to both worlds and to the people he cared about most had become as familiar to him as his ghost powers.

"Okay," he began without preamble when everyone had settled into (or above) a seat. "There have been a lot of new developments in the fight against Vlad and his forces, particularly with the attack today on Amity Park City Hall. Not only is it the biggest move he's made on the Human World to date, it's the first time he's sent the Fright Knight—his number two guy—here."

Mr. Gray eyed him over the tops of his glasses. "When the Ghost King sent him here, it was to seal off the town and take it over. Is that what Vlad's up to?"

"Could be. He's tough to beat in his own right, but that Soul Shredder sword of his can really do some damage. Besides the sealing-off-the-town thing, I've seen it create a real nasty ecto-storm, which caused all sorts of problems around town a couple Halloweens ago. And if he manages to stab you with it, instead of hurting you, it'll send you to another dimension where you live out your worst fears, and the only way to get you back is to take him out."

Tucker shuddered. "Trust me. You do _not_ want to go there."

"I think it'd be smart to do some more research on exactly how that thing works and if it has any other powers we don't know about." Danny nodded at Sam, whose eyes lit up on the word _research_. While his parents were the experts on the science-y end of all things ghost-related, no one loved creepy ghost lore quite like Sam.

"But to Mr. Gray's point, I think his presence here today could be a sign that Vlad's got something big planned. Up until now, he's been concentrating mostly on taking over the Ghost Zone, and we've been focusing on defending the Far Frozen, since it's pretty much the only place left in the Ghost Zone that he hasn't been able to touch. But if he's making a serious stab at Amity Park before the Far Frozen—"

"Are you implying saving your world is a priority over saving ours?" Skulker interrupted. He was standing beside Ember near the staircase, his arms folded across his massive, armored chest. "So far we've been the ones to lose our homes, living like refugees in one small corner of the Ghost Zone while you humans have only had to deal with the occasional nuisance raid."

Danny glanced at Sam. _And here we go._

"'Nuisance raid'?" Mr. Gray leaned forward in his seat. "My daughter nearly got a concussion from Hotep-Ra two weeks ago in one of those 'nuisance raids'!"

"Daddy!" Valerie glared at her father.

Ember snorted. "Oh, boo hoo. We've lost our _homes_."

Skulker nodded. "Exactly. While I'm willing to take the hunt wherever it leads, why should we ghosts worry about his plans for the Human World when our own homes are all but destroyed?"

Ember and Technus murmured in agreement, and the Box Ghost let out a small cheer in an attempt to show solidarity with his more notorious counterparts, while the humans grumbled in protest.

Stepping into the middle of the living room, Frostbite held up his left arm to silence them. Made of ice so transparent his bones were visible inside, it made for an imposing sight, and everyone quieted down as he cleared his throat. "This is not a question of whether or not saving the Ghost Zone or the Human World is a priority. Defeating the creature that threatens _both_ worlds is the priority, and today's attack on Amity Park represents a shift in strategy. If we are to defeat him, we must work _with_ the humans to stop the Anti-Ghost—wherever he attacks."

Danny flashed Frostbite a grateful smile before taking up his argument. "You guys aren't gonna make me do the whole 'Our Worlds are Linked' speech again, are you? And it isn't just our worlds. Our _fates_ are linked. If we start bickering over whose turf is more worth protecting, then Vlad has already won. That might even have been his goal in sending the Fright Knight here, to get the humans worrying about our own hides so that we stop focusing on the Far Frozen. Well, that's not gonna happen. We've gotta keep him out of Amity Park _and_ the Far Frozen. And it's gonna take all of us."

Skulker looked around the room. "By 'all of us,' you mean _all_ the ghosts, but only a handful of humans?"

Danny saw his dad, seated in the middle of the couch, bristle. "Hey! The humans just in this room have plenty enough ghost hunting skills to beat back Vladdy or any other ghost!"

Tucker nodded his agreement. "And there were a whole bunch of humans fighting today! Amity Park PD, the fire department, they were all out at City Hall fighting those skeleton ghosts."

"What about your so-called 'elite' government forces?" Skulker asked. "Those Guys in White? Where are they? Why aren't _they_ helping?"

"Thank you!" Mr. Manson fairly exploded. "I've been saying for _months_ that we should call them in. Isn't this what they're trained to do?"

Sam gave her father a look that would have withered a rampaging rhino. "We don't need _their_ kind of help."

"Your father's right, Sam," Mrs. Manson chimed in. "Remember how they captured that weather ghost last winter? And they stopped that big plant ghost last spring just before all this nonsense with Vlad Masters began. Surely they would know best how to stop him—"

"I think _we_ know best how to stop him," Danny's mother said from beside his father, an edge of ice in her voice. "No one knows him better than Jack and I. And Sam is right. We don't need the kind of help the Guys in White have to offer."

Danny intervened before the argument could take them too far off track. "To be fair, the fact that they captured Undergrowth and Vortex the last time each of them went on a rampage _has_ worked in our favor. When Vlad attacked the Observants and took over their home, all the ghosts they'd been holding, like Hotep-Ra, joined his side. Vortex and Undergrowth probably would have been among them, but because of the Guys in White, we have at least two less nasty and powerful ghosts on Vlad's side. Probably more that we don't even know about."

Sam's glare turned on him now. "So it's okay for them to subject sentient beings to God knows what kind of experiments and torture just because it's convenient for us?"

He bit back a sigh. "I didn't say that, Sam. But we can only fight one war at a time, and right now, we're fighting _Vlad_, not the Guys in White. And, frankly, if Vlad's crew keeps attacking the Human World like they did today, we're gonna get their help whether we want it or not."

He then turned to the Mansons. "But Sam's right, too. If they get involved, it's only gonna make things harder for us. They won't differentiate between Vlad's minions and the ghosts that are fighting him. And they have no great love for FentonWorks, either."

Skulker shrugged. "So? At least if there were massive human involvement keeping the skeleton warriors busy here, the ghosts would be freed up to accomplish more in the Ghost Zone."

This time, Danny couldn't stop the sigh from escaping. "Listen, Skulker. You know as well as I do that the majority of humans aren't equipped to deal with Vlad and hordes of skeleton ghosts, and the ones that are tend to be overzealous and will end up taking half the Ghost Zone with them. But I seem to recall it taking only a couple of humans to defeat _you_ more than once. Or you, Ember. Or Technus. And don't _even_ make me list all the times we've kicked your butt, Box Ghost. We don't have that kind of time."

"Then where were you humans when the Fright Knight's skeleton army ran through most of the Ghost Zone?" Skulker arched a cybernetic eyebrow at Danny. "Where were _you_, Ghost Child?"

Danny winced—that one hit a little too close to home. If he'd been in the Ghost Zone when Vlad had attacked Dora's kingdom...

But before he could respond, his mom jumped up, indignant. "Now you wait just one minute! This 'ghost child' you're talking to is my _son_. A _human boy_, not quite seventeen years old. His top priority is _school_, not leading some war in the Ghost Zone. Even so, he's still missed more nights of sleep than I can count because of this war with _Vlad_." As always, she spat more than said Vlad's name. "And that goes for all the other young people in this room. They've done more than anyone could ever expect of children their age."

Resisting the urge to slap the palm of his hand over his face, Danny groaned through clenched teeth. "Mom, I can handle this. And school's out, so that's not an issue anymore."

"You're still a sixteen-year-old boy, not a warrior."

"I'm a little of both, actually. It kinda comes with the half-ghost territory. And Skulker's right, I can't just sit back and wait for Vlad to bring the fight here." His focus shifted to the armor-clad ghost. "And I don't plan to. I've fought my share of battles in the Ghost Zone the last few months. I..." Stumbling on the thought of the one crucial fight he missed, he forced himself to keep his gaze on Skulker and not glance at Danielle or Dora. "I wish I could have been there for more of them. But we need to focus on the battles that are ahead of us, not the ones behind us."

Turning his attention from Skulker, he addressed the room as a whole. "And we need to get past the whole humans versus ghost thing and arguing over which world is more worth saving. Either we save them _both_ or we lose them both. 'Cause frankly, it's not _what_ he's doing in Amity Park that concerns me. It's _why_ he's doing it. I'm not convinced today's assault on City Hall isn't a distraction. My big worry is that he's plotting some sort of move to take the Far Frozen. And if he gets that, there won't be any Ghost Zone left to save."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Danny saw the unease ripple through the ghosts, and he knew he'd hit on their worst fear as well.

It was Frostbite who spoke up first. "We are well defended in the Realm of the Far Frozen. Our ability to create and manipulate ice has been among the few weapons effective at keeping the Anti-Ghost and his ectoranium-based powers at bay, and the physical properties and climate of the land itself make it difficult for him to breach. When you add to that the sheer number of ghosts who have taken refuge in our realm, ready to fight and defend the last stronghold in the Ghost Zone, I believe we are well-prepared to meet any challenge the Anti-Ghost and his forces choose to throw at us."

He paused a moment, scratching his shaggy chin with the paw that wasn't made of ice. "But he knows all this as well as we do, and I would not be surprised if he is seeking a way to counter our defenses."

Danny's dad nodded. "Vladdy doesn't give up or let go easily. He'll be thinking up a plan to get at both the Far Frozen and Amity Park."

"That's what I'm thinking, too," Danny agreed. "One of our top priorities needs to be taking a serious look at the Far Frozen and the ice powers and finding every weakness, anything Vlad could exploit, so we can plug it up before he gets the chance. And we're gonna need better weapons to fight him."

Behind him, Tucker cleared his throat. "Hold up, Danny. Before we get to better weapons, we have a new problem that needs fixing first. All the updated weapons and defenses in the world aren't gonna help so long as that dragon with the anti-tech breath is around."

Valerie flashed him a smug look. "_My_ tech worked just fine."

It was all Danny could do to keep from responding. _Later_. First, they had to figure out what to do about Aragon. He turned to Dora, who was sitting on the couch with his parents. "Tucker's right. How do we stop Aragon's anti-tech powers?"

She snorted, and Danny could have sworn he saw actual wisps of smoke coming from her nostrils, even though she was still in humanoid form. "His powers aren't about technology."

A grunt of annoyance came from Technus. "They'd better not be. Technology is _my_ bit."

Danny rolled his eyes. "We know, Technus. Master of all technology, blah blah blah."

"It's much more serious than that." Dora fingered the green and gold amulet around her neck, the source of hers and Aragon's dragon powers. "My brother's powers don't stop technology. They stop time itself."

"He stops _time_?" Then, Danny remembered something Aragon had said the first time they'd fought him, how he could make 'time stand still." Danny's gaze shifted from Dora to the blue-faced, gaunt old ghost who was hovering near the ceiling by the front door. "I thought that was your department, Clockwork."

The Master of Time shifted his form from that of an old man with a long, white beard to a clean-shaven, muscular young man. His purple hooded cloak, the clock and pendulum in his chest, and the ragged scar down the left side of his face remained the same, however, as did the impassive expression in his red eyes. "Aragon's powers have nothing whatsoever to do with the time stream or the movement of time itself, which is, as you say, my 'department.'"

"Then he doesn't actually stop time?"

"Yes and no. His desire for the world to be what it once was, in ages past, before technological advances allowed for a more equal distribution of work, power, and wealth among the classes, between the genders, and even between the Human World and the Ghost Zone, has kept him stuck in the past. His powers do not stop time itself but, rather, extends the walls of his own prison to ensnare those around him, trapping them along with him."

Although all the issues that surrounded time and the time stream were a bit beyond Danny's grasp, he did understand the gist of what Clockwork was saying. "So, he doesn't actually stop time, but he can make sort of a time-standing-still zone, which just happens to kill our tech. How long's his reach?"

"In the Ghost Zone, among his own people, he can extend his reach throughout his entire kingdom. In the Human World, he can only affect his immediate area, no more than a few square blocks around him."

"That's good news. His range is limited."

"Yes, but don't underestimate the strength of his powers either. There is no prison more difficult to free yourself from than the one that keeps you trapped in one point in time, unable to move forward."

Danny shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable under the Time Master's piercing gaze. "Still, limited range is good, and Dora has the ability to burn off the fog or whatever it is that he creates. That's two weaknesses."

"Even better—he needs that amulet to do any of it," Sam reminded him. "And Dora took it from him today."

Dora shook her head. "I took _an_ amulet from him today, yes. But he has another. And he also has one of mine."

"And people say I have too much redundant tech." Tucker tapped his thumbs absently on the PDA in his hands. "How many of those things are floating around the Ghost Zone, anyway?"

"Four. There are two Lesser Amulets of Aragon, which my brother and I have had since we were children, and two Sovereign Amulets of Aragon, which belonged to our parents. My father, King Aragon the First, was destroyed by Pariah Dark before the Ancient Ones sealed him in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. My mother then reigned in his stead, keeping the King's Amulet from my brother, claiming he needed to find a bride before he could ascend to the throne.

"A few years ago, he threw himself a costume ball to find a bride from among our subjects, but Mother rejected them all. That's when he began his tirades about how things _used_ to be, back when women knew their place, and kings and princes ruled over queens and princesses. Shortly afterward, Mother 'disappeared,' and my brother acquired both Sovereign Amulets, beginning his rule over our realm. Of course, he still couldn't officially be crowned king without marrying first, which is why he began that whole ridiculous quest for the perfect human bride."

A low grunt escaped Sam. "Don't remind me."

"Just before I left for the Human World to carry out his quest, he gave me the Queen's Amulet, along with a special ring that worked with the Sovereign Amulets, allowing us to communicate with each other over great distances and even between worlds. The Queen's Amulet is the one the Fright Knight took from me today. But I still have my Lesser Amulet, and I got the King's Amulet from Aragon in our fight today as well, so we each still have two. I have mine and our father's; he has his and our mother's... assuming the Fright Knight gave it back to him."

"Do the amulets differ in powers?" Danny asked her. "Are the Sovereign Amulets more powerful than the Lesser ones, or do different things?"

"The Sovereign Amulets are slightly more powerful, yes, but not in ways that will be helpful to us. They give us a more fearsome transformation and augment our strength somewhat, because they feed off our own innate dragon core rather than off simple emotional duress. That also means their powers cannot be transferred to beings not of Dragon lineage the way the Lesser Amulets of Aragon can."

"Don't remind me of that, either." Sam put her hand to her forehead as if nursing a headache.

"But any of the four amulets will give my brother the power he needs to take his own natural dragon form and stop time from moving forward."

"And kill our tech," Tucker finished.

Sam's eyes darkened the way they always did whenever she was hatching some sort of scheme. "But your original amulet, it can turn anyone into a dragon like you, right?"

Dora gave her a suspicious look. "Yes. But only we of Dragon lineage maintain control over ourselves in dragon form. A human or another ghost wearing the amulet would need to be provoked into an extreme emotional reaction while wearing it and would not be in control of their actions, nor would they remember anything afterward. They would just be reacting to whatever upset them in the first place, with no ability to reason or plan."

"And breathing fire does leave a _really_ bad aftertaste," Sam conceded.

Her mother glared at her. "And you would know this because...?"

"I read a lot of books from the Skulk and Lurk," Sam replied quickly. "But still, if Dora's not around—"

"No." Danny shook his head as he cut her off.

"Come on, Danny. If Dora's fire is our best weapon against Aragon, and she's not around, someone else using the amulet might make a nice Plan B."

Danny's dad got the kind of glint in his eye that usually made Danny fear for his life. "Even better, what if we harnessed that dragon fire into a weapon?"

Tucker let out a huff of air. "Except if we need it, it means he's already made it so tech won't work. Catch twenty-two."

"Then we'll just have to come up with some low tech ways to fight back," Danny said, "just like we did when we had to rescue Sa—that human girl he kidnapped to be his bride." He winced, hoping Sam's parents didn't catch the slip. Just because they knew their daughter was a ghost fighter and dating a half-ghost didn't mean they had to know _everything_.

His dad saved him by keeping the discussion moving. "I'll work on some low- or no-tech ways to fight that dragon ghost." He looked at Dora. "And we'll need to take some samples to see what juices that fire of yours up."

Danny winced again, and Dora gave his father an appalled look before schooling her features into a polite smile. "It doesn't really work that way. Dragon fire can't be duplicated by non-dragons, except with one of the Amulets of Aragon. I could, however, leave my Lesser Amulet with you, if it would help. But you must be careful with it, since I only have one other."

That glint lit up his father's eyes once more, so Danny moved quickly to redirect him before he could completely freak Dora out. "Great. So we're working the tech problem, which brings us back to weapons. What do we have to fight Vlad, Dad?"

"Well, we know the two main things that work against Vladdy's ectoranium powers are ice and sonic energy. Using the same frequency from your Ghostly Wail, we've already successfully updated our Ghost Shields to block him. Haven't had quite as much luck with the Specter Deflectors, unfortunately. I have been working on adding a sonic component to our offensive weapons as well, but the calibration's been a problem."

"What about ice?"

"That's coming along much better. The Fenton Freeze attachments for most of our offensive weapons should be operational within the next two weeks."

"That'll definitely make a difference. But what about using that technology for a way to contain Vlad, or separate out his anti-ghost half from his human half? Have you had any luck adapting the Fenton Thermos or the Ghost Weasel or anything like that?"

His father's expression turned grim. "That's been much trickier. The Fenton Thermos and other ghost-trapping devices like the Ghost Weasel or the Fenton Extractor work on a completely different principle than the ecto-weapons or even the shields and the Specter Deflector. I can't get the sonic component or the Fenton Freeze to interface with 'em properly."

Danny's heart fell. Without a way to separate out the spectral and human sides of Vlad, or at least contain him completely, stopping him would be virtually impossible without killing him outright, and Danny was more than a little reluctant to go there.

In the three years he'd been fighting ghosts, he'd been fortunate enough to never have faced the most basic choice of battle: destroy or be destroyed. At least not with any sentient being. His strategies for dealing with any ghosts that caused trouble on his side of the Ghost Portal were more or less variations on the same theme—weaken them with a few punches and a shot or two from his plasma ray or his ice powers, then suck them into the Fenton Thermos and deposit them back into the Ghost Zone. Lather, rinse, repeat. Even truly dangerous ghosts could be turned over to the Observants if they posed too great a threat in the Human World.

On the other end of the spectrum, there were the non-sentient drone types, like the skeleton army or similar mindless creatures other more powerful denizens of the Ghost Zone might utilize as minions in their various schemes. These ghosts weren't really _destroyed_ so much as _disassembled_ when Danny fought them.

The only foes he'd ever eliminated outright in battle had been the mutated and not-fully formed clones of himself that Vlad had created in the same project that had given birth to Danielle, and once Danny had realized his plasma ray was dissolving them into so much ectoplasmic goo, he'd made it a point to avoid fighting them. The fact that Dani almost suffered the same fate only reinforced his horror at that kind of total destruction.

But to actually have to make that choice, to end a sentient being's existence—and in Vlad's case, to take a _human_ life, as well—it wasn't something Danny was sure he could do. If he posed an immediate threat to someone, yes. Danny knew his reaction would be instinctual and he'd do whatever it took to protect anyone who was in danger, whether family member, friend, or innocent bystander.

But what of the more fuzzy gray area of the general threat Vlad posed to _everyone_? Was there a difference between _defense_ and _assassination_ when the latter could potentially save hundreds, thousands, or even millions of lives?

His gut told him yes, there was a difference, and a crucial one.

Because of this, Danny found himself grasping for any alternative with both hands."What about the stuff that separates out ghost energy from human energy, like the Ghost Catcher or the Ghost Gauntlets?"

"It's... possible." But his dad didn't look very confident, which was saying something, because Jack Fenton was _always_ confident even his craziest inventions would work. "I've been trying to adapt the Ghost Gauntlets and the Ghost Peeler, but they're not coming together like I'd hoped. Your mom, though—she might be onto something even better. She's got a plan that might stop Vladdy's powers right at the source."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Danny felt his breath catch. "Really? Is that what you've been working on, Mom? A way to get rid of Vlad's ectoranium powers?"

"I... I'm not sure yet what the practical applications will be. I'm still just in the theoretical stage."

Not exactly the breakthrough he was hoping for, but Danny would take what he could get. "Theoretical stage of what?"

Maddie stood up to address the room. "We don't know a lot about how Vlad got his new powers, other than it was the result of a collision with the asteroid after it passed through the intangible Earth, and that he described the accident as the ectoranium 'fusing' with him.

"Just based on what we've observed in the various confrontations we've had with him over the past three months since his return, we know he has powers that are similar to ghost powers, but they operate differently. Rather than going intangible, like other ghosts, he seems to almost vaporize. He's impervious to most things that affect normal ghosts, such as ectoplasmic rays and weapons, ghost shields, and the like. The things that we have found to be effective in fighting him, like sonic and ecto-freeze energy, aren't ectoplasm-based, but rather things that counter ectoplasm-based weapons and defenses.

"As for his offensive capabilities, he can utilize ectoranium the way ghosts can utilize ectoplasm to form rays, shields, even explosive blasts. It's a far more potent and lethal energy, mostly to ghosts, but in ray form, it can be lethal to humans as well."

Ember snorted, impatient. "Yeah, yeah. We know all this already. You getting to a point anytime soon?"

"Yes, I am. You see, ectoranium has one more important characteristic—it's highly unstable. In anything other than its solid form, such as the asteroid that nearly destroyed the planet last year, ectoranium breaks down fairly quickly, rendering it completely inert." She looked at Danny. "That's why the residue after Vlad destroyed Clockwork's Tower shocked you when you first went there, but had no effect when you went back the next day, remember? There was nothing left to it because it had already broken down."

"Wait. Ectoranium breaks _down_?" From her seat on the floor, Danielle looked up at Maddie, confusion and anger warring on her face. "You keep telling me the ectoranium in my system will always be there, that I'm always going to be affected by it. You messed up my ghost powers with all that ecto-purifier for something that's going to eventually break down and be harmless? Then why did you take my powers from me?"

Danny swallowed as he looked at his "cousin." Had his mother made a mistake? Had she taken Dani's powers from her for nothing?

Maddie looked down at Danielle, all traces of the matter-of-fact scientist gone, leaving only a mother, heartbroken by her child's pain. "Because the ectoranium in your system won't break down so long as it has an energy source to feed off of—your ghost powers. If we didn't give you the ecto-purifier, the ectoranium would continue to feed off your ghost powers until there was nothing left. The only way to stop it from using you up completely is to give you just enough ecto-purifier to suppress your powers to keep the ectoranium weak. But if we gave you enough ecto-purifier to completely starve the ectoranium, that would kill you, too. It's a balancing act, sweetie. I... I wish we could just get rid of the ectoranium altogether, but it's permanently integrated into your system."

Dani leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine. So, why don't we just give Vlad a mega-dose of ecto-purifier and kill off _his_ powers?"

Valerie, sitting beside her, reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

Maddie sighed. "I wish we could. But Vlad doesn't have any _ghost_ powers left to suppress. If he did, then our standard weapons would work on him. His powers come from the ectoranium itself now. Whatever happened when that asteroid hit him, instead of killing him, it altered his system dramatically. But in anything other than its solid form, ectoranium needs energy to feed off of or it will always break down and become inert."

Jazz, who had remained quiet through all the talk of battle strategy and weapons, was in her element with the more scientific topic. "Wait. If Vlad doesn't have any ghost powers for it to feed off, does that mean the ectoranium in his system is going to break down? How long will that take? Do we just have to wait him out?"

Their mom shook her head. "That's just it. It should have broken down already, but it hasn't. Without being able to run any tests on Vlad himself to understand exactly how his system has been altered by the massive infusion of ectoranium, it's hard for me to say how exactly it would break down and how long it might take, but even allowing a few months for Vlad's body to adjust to his new state, the ectoranium should have started breaking down within six months of the initial collision, and within nine months at the outside, it should have sufficiently degenerated enough to render his powers completely ineffective—or killed him outright. Probably both."

Mr. Gray narrowed his eyes. "It's already been nearly ten months since the asteroid."

"Exactly. And yet, Vlad's still as powerful as ever. Or, at least he was when the kids last ran up against him a month ago." She avoided looking at Danielle this time—the last time they'd faced Vlad was during her rescue.

Danny swallowed again, forcing himself to focus on Vlad, not Dani. "If anything, he was stronger. So, why hasn't it broken down or killed him? If Vlad doesn't have any ghost powers for the ectoranium to feed off, what _is_ feeding it?"

His mother was the scientist once more, only this time there was a hint of the kind of smile a proud teacher might bestow on a prize student who had just had an epiphany. "That's the million-dollar question."

Frostbite stroked his shaggy chin. "The ambient energy of the Ghost Zone, perhaps?"

She shook her head. "I thought maybe that was it, too. But there isn't enough ambient energy in the Ghost Zone to keep the ectoranium in his system from breaking down. If there was, then the residue at Clockwork's Tower wouldn't have gone inert so quickly."

Jazz chewed on her lip, a habit of hers whenever she was working out something complex, like one of her psychological theories. "But _something_ is feeding it. And if we find out what, we can use that to defeat Vlad by stopping his powers at the source."

When their mother nodded again, Danny almost went over and kissed her. "Then we'll have a way of stopping him without killing him?" Could the end really be in sight?

"Possibly. I'm only in the theoretical stage. I still don't have any idea of what that source might be. There's a long way to go before we know enough to use against him."

"It's a start. If you keep working on that angle, you just might come up with the way to stop him for good."

"Can I help with that, Mom?" Jazz asked. "I could use the extra parabiology practice as background for my parapsychology studies."

Their mother looked like she'd just been awarded a Nobel Prize. "Of course! I'd love for you to work with me!"

Danny smiled, feeling a little bit of the pressure that had been in his chest for three months since Vlad came back finally begin to loosen. "Great. So you guys can work on that, while Dad keeps working on the weapons and defenses."

Skulker brushed his metal hands together, making an odd clanking sound. "It's settled, then. The humans will continue working on weapons to stop Plasmius and now Aragon, while the ghosts continue our defense of the Far Frozen and the hunt for the portal they're using to move back and forth between our worlds. I believe that concludes our meeting."

"Not so fast, Skulker." Danny held up his hand. "We need to work together, remember? And that means we're gonna have to have constant communication between the Far Frozen and our world." He gave his dad a hopeful look. "I don't suppose you've figured out how to rig the Fenton Phones so they'll work in the Far Frozen?"

"Not exactly. It's the combination of the terrain and the distance from there to our portal that makes them unusable. I'll figure out a fix eventually, but in the meantime, I have another way we can keep in touch. Remember that Porta-Portal I invented a couple years ago? The prototype was unstable, and it disappeared not long after I built it, but I've been working on an updated model. A pair of them, actually, and they've already done great in the preliminary tests. If they work like I'm hoping, we can use 'em to open a portal directly into any specific point in the Ghost Zone we set it for, or from within the Ghost Zone, to a specific location back here. We'd have instant access to the Far Frozen, and them to us, without having to travel halfway across the Ghost Zone. Not as quick as the Fenton Phones would be for communication, but the upside is that we also can move bodies a lot quicker to where we most need 'em to be when trouble pops up."

Frostbite gave him a toothy grin. "That would be most helpful, yes."

"Are they ready to go?" Danny asked.

"Not quite. There are still a couple glitches to work out, and then I need to fine-tune 'em so they'll open up into a specific location instead of who knows where."

Frostbite glanced at Hailstone. "This would be a useful tool while the Infi-Map is... indisposed."

"Infi-Map?" Mr. Foley gave Frostbite a curious look. "What's that?"

"It's an artifact my people have guarded for millennia, which shows the location of any portal in the Ghost Zone."

Danny explained further. "There are an infinite number of natural portals into and out of the Ghost Zone and even through time, but they're always shifting. Only the Infi-Map can reveal them. It takes you wherever you want to go in the Ghost Zone and through time. Vlad's managed to steal it twice before, and that was before he got his new powers."

Shuddering, Danny tried not think about the havoc Vlad had wreaked with the magical map—and how much worse he could do now. "We can't afford for him to get a hold of it again, so Frostbite and Clockwork decided to hide it someplace he could never get it—inside the time stream itself. It doesn't even exist in time and space anymore, only _between_ times. Even Clockwork can't get it back out again—not until he can rebuild his tower and get his full power back."

Mr. Manson frowned. "If this map shows the location of any portal in the Ghost Zone, couldn't we have used it to find Vlad's portal before hiding it?"

"We did check it for any new portals, but there weren't any. Vlad must have activated it after Clockwork stashed the map." For not the first time, Danny wondered if that had been the smartest course of action.

Frostbite, meanwhile, turned his attention back to Danny's dad. "Your device will fill a much-needed void in facilitating travel and cooperation between our two worlds. And, while we no longer have the Infi-Map, we do have many other maps in our archives that may help you program your portal with precise coordinates. I will have them sent over first thing tomorrow."

"Perfect, Frost-man! Just what the doctor ordered!"

Danny tried not to roll his eyes at his father's exuberance. "So, Dad, how long before it'll be ready?"

"I was gonna say another month, but the information from Frostbite's maps might cut it down to several days. A week or two, tops."

"Cool. That'll be a _huge_ help. Especially since I'm going to help with the defense of the Far Frozen and trying to figure out what Vlad's plan for conquering it is. And I'd like Sam to be involved with that, too." He looked at her. "Out of all the humans, you know your ghost lore best."

A sharp cough turned his attention in Danielle's direction. She was glaring up at him, her arms still crossed in irritation. "Are you sure about that? 'Cause I would think the _half_-human who _lived_ in the Ghost Zone up until Vlad took over would have a pretty good knowledge of ghost lore."

Danny hesitated, looking to his mom, his eyebrows raised in silent question.

She nodded her assent. "She should be well enough to go to the Far Frozen and help with research." Then, she flashed Dani a look of stern admonition. "But no ghost powers. Got it, young lady?"

Danielle rolled her eyes. "I know, I know." She looked up at Danny, irritation gone. "So, I can help you and Sam in the Far Frozen?"

"Yeah, okay."

Now it was Tucker's turn to pout. "Hey, what about me and Val? Everyone's got a job but us. We not good enough for the team anymore?"

"Actually..." Danny paused, gearing himself up for the battle he knew he couldn't put off any longer. "I have something different in mind for you two. And Mr. Gray and Technus."

"Me?" The self-proclaimed Master of Technology looked surprised. "What do you want from me, Ghost Child?"

Valerie, however, already knew, judging by the daggers she was staring at him. "No."

"Val..."

Her eyes flashed in warning. "Don't you go messing in _my_ business, Phantom."

Danny gritted his teeth. Whenever she called him _Phantom_, he knew he was in for a fight. "When Aragon stopped technology, he killed everything, Val. The shield, the weapons, power to the firetrucks and City Hall itself. Even Skulker's suit completely died. Everything but _your_ suit."

"The key word being '_my_' suit."

"No, the key words being 'everything but.' Your suit operates when no other tech does. I don't know what Technus did when he bonded that suit to you, but your DNA—"

"Is _my_ business!"

"And _mine_." Mr. Gray glared at his daughter. "Don't think I didn't notice what happened today, too. I was gonna say something when we got home, but since Danny brought it up—and don't you go giving him the evil eye!" he added when Valerie sent a withering glare in Danny's direction. "This is not his problem. It's yours, and it's high time you addressed it.

"I've let you continue with all this ghost-fighting business because, as much as I hate it, you're _good_. And we need you to defeat Vlad. But I was there when that suit got... bonded onto you, Val, and I don't mind telling you that was one of the scariest moments of my life, and that includes everything I ever did in the Marines, _and_ your mother's entire illness."

He turned his glower onto Technus. "And you're the ghost that did this? I wanna know _exactly_ what you did to my baby girl."

The mullet-haired ghost blinked, taken aback by the anger and sheer power from a human he'd barely noticed before. "I animated the pieces of that old suit the way I always animate technology, only instead of melding it to myself, I melded it onto the girl."

"So, even you don't know exactly what you did to her, do you?" Danny asked. When Technus shrugged, Danny resisted an urge to nail him with a blast from his ghost Ray. "Then it's past time we found out."

He looked at Valerie. "This isn't just for you, Val. If there's some way your weapons can be adapted so that others can use them and we don't lose all our tech capability when Aragon attacks, don't you think we need to do that?"

She didn't look any happier, but her father closed the matter. "I'm not giving you a choice, young lady. I held my tongue when Maddie first found out your DNA had been altered, because I knew you were overwhelmed and needed time to figure out how to face everything your own way. But your way is to _not_ face it, and we're done with that. So you, me, Tucker, and that ghost." He jerked a thumb at Technus. "We're gonna find out exactly what makes that suit—and you—tick."

Even Technus was a little cowed by the ex-marine's fearsome demeanor, because when Valerie answered her father, the ghost said along with her, "Yes, sir."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_**Axion Labs  
Amity Park**_

Tucker's eyes flicked back and forth between the data flowing across three computer monitors and the source of that data—Valerie, in full battle suit, with more wireless electrodes and biofeedback sensors adhered to her body than the average astronaut wore on a flight to the moon. She was behind a thick glass partition in one of the basement research labs at Axion, which Mr. Gray had requisitioned for "research into ghost-fighting equipment and weaponry," while he and Tucker monitored the diagnostics from the lab's control room. It had taken them a few days to get permission to use the lab, but the wait was well worth it.

Despite the intrusive attachments, Valerie moved with fluid grace as she produced various weapons, some of them seemingly out of thin air, or performed martial arts maneuvers that defied gravity and at least three other laws of physics Tucker could think of, sending the diagnostic numbers on the computer monitors into ranges he'd never seen before. It would have been easy to attribute all of Valerie's abilities to the suit itself but, having seen her perform similar moves without it, Tucker knew better.

As such, it was a tossup which sight was more impressive—the diagnostic results, or the girl producing them. He let out a low whistle.

"I know!" Mr. Gray shook his head in disbelief. "I have never seen numbers like this!"

Tucker coughed. "Yeah, that, too." Concentrating more fully on the computer monitors, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. "Are you sure everything's calibrated correctly? 'Cause the numbers don't add up. The amps running through that thing are off the chart, but the voltage is less than your average household appliance. How is that possible? Even superconductors aren't _that_ efficient. And even if that suit were some kind of ultra-superconductor, there's no way a human being should be able to survive actually _wearing_ it."

Technus, leaning against the wall behind them, all but forgotten, stifled a yawn. "Of course not, child. If it were electricity coursing through the suit, she'd be fried to a crisp."

Mr. Gray shot him a dark look. "That's my daughter you're talking about."

Tucker looked back at the numbers on the screen. "If it's not electricity, then, what is it? 'Cause I've never seen anything do that. Not even ectoplasm."

"It's not ectoplasm, either. Not strictly speaking."

Mr. Gray folded his arms and glared at the ghost over his glasses. "Then what, 'strictly speaking,' _is_ running through that suit that my daughter not only wears on a regular basis, but can call into existence out of air and send away again just by thinking about it?"

A click on the intercom between the control room and the lab interrupted them. "Are we done with the show yet?" On the other side of the window, Valerie stood with her arms folded, her annoyed expression clear through the faceplate of her helmet. "'Cause I'm kind of sick of being trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. And whatever y'all are talking about, I'd kinda like to be in on it."

Mr. Gray leaned forward and switched on the talkback into the lab. "We've got enough data for now. Come on back."

Pulling off electrodes as she walked, Valerie came in through the door between the lab and the control room. "Well? Find out anything useful?"

Tucker leaned back in his chair. "Your suit does stuff it shouldn't be able to do."

She gave him a look like he'd just told her there were ghosts in Amity Park. "Well, I'm glad I wasted my entire morning to find _that_ out."

"Can the attitude, little girl," her father warned. "We found out plenty. Like, for instance, even though your suit doesn't pack a lot of voltage, it produces a really strong electrical current. _Impossibly_ strong. But Technus here was just about to explain that it isn't really electricity, and it isn't 'strictly speaking' ectoplasm, either." He turned to the ghost. "So what exactly _is_ powering that suit?"

"There are ghost powers that are common to all or most ghosts, like intangibility or invisibility. And then there are other powers that are more... individualized. My own powers give me the ability to animate and control technological gadgetry." Raising his left hand, he emitted a blue-white beam that landed on the PDA hooked to Tucker's belt. The handheld rose out of its case and hovered in the air, then made a high-pitched hissing sound that almost sounded like a snake.

"Hey!" Tucker jumped up from his seat and made a grab for the device, but it hovered out of reach over his head. "Give that back!"

"As you wish." Technus jerked back his hand, abruptly shutting down the beams emanating from it. The device fell the ground with a clatter.

"My baby!" Tucker dove for his PDA, scooping it up off the ground and cradling it like a wounded bird.

"I can exert my control using something that is not quite electricity, and not quite ectoplasm, although my Lightning Rod staff can convert it into electricity. But my power is more a combination of the two. _Ec_-tricity, if you will."

Still cradling his PDA to him, Tucker rose to his feet. "And that's what makes all the junk you mess with come to life and turn into those weird robot battle suits?"

"Battle suits?" For the first time, Valerie showed some interest in the discussion. "Is that how you made my suit work again?"

"Exactly. I used my powers to animate the broken pieces of your old battle suit and attach them to you the way I use appliances and other gadgetry to create armor for myself."

Tucker tried to piece it all together as he sat back in his seat. "But she's human, not a ghost. Is that why you altered her DNA? To make it all stick?"

Technus shrugged. "How should I know? I work in electronics and technology, not biology. I just... did what I do. _How_ it worked is not my department."

"Not your _department_?" Mr. Gray shot out of his chair and took a step toward the ghost. "You blasted her with that ray-thing of yours, but it isn't your _department_ to know how it works?"

Technus, no longer looking quite so bored, took a step backwards, but Valerie stepped between them, holding up her hand to her father. "Wait. If the suit doesn't run on electricity, but on some kind of ectoplasmic-electrical something-or-other, where exactly is all this power _coming_ from?"

That's when it hit Tucker, and he straightened in his seat. "From _you_, Val."

"From me?" She laughed. "How can ecto-whats-it power be coming from me? I'm not a ghost."

"No, but... altered DNA, ghost powers... any of that sound familiar?"

She frowned. "I'm not like Danny. I'm not even _half _ghost."

"Well, if it isn't ghost powers, what else would you call it?"

Mr. Gray shook his head. "No, that can't be right. Maddie said it wasn't the same as Danny's DNA, that she _didn't_ have ghost powers."

Technus looked from Tucker to Mr. Gray . "I think the boy is close. Not ghost _powers_, like most ghosts have. But _a_ ghost power, yes."

Valerie put her hands on her hips. "Oh, come _on_. Even putting aside the invisibility and intangibility and all the other regular ghost stuff, it's not like I can do what you can do, not even with electronics. I can't just shoot out beams from my hands and make any piece of electrical equipment run on ghost energy."

The ghost barked out a harsh laugh. "Of course not, child! I alone am Master of all Technology and Mech—"

"Yeah, yeah," Tucker interrupted. "We've all heard the speech, like, a bazillion times. You da man. Or ghost. Whatever. We get it. But what about _Valerie_?"

"She's the Ghost Hunter."

Tucker let out an exasperated sigh, but Valerie's eyes widened as if she'd just had an epiphany. "No, Tuck. I get what he means. I'm not _a_ ghost hunter. It's not just a suit I put on anymore. I _am_ the Ghost Hunter." She turned to Technus. "It _is_ like Danny, isn't it? Danny Phantom isn't just a costume he puts on. It's in him all the time."

Technus grinned. "Bingo! Give the little lady a prize!"

Valerie's disinterest evaporated. "Then I've been going about everything all wrong. I've been treating the sled and the suit and the weapons like _tools_. An extension of me, yes, like we learn in martial arts. Nun-chucks or bo staffs, you have to treat them like extensions of your body. But this is different. It's more basic than that. Like the right stance or... breathing." She looked at Technus with something approaching hunger in her eyes. "Teach me."

* * *

Tucker spent the rest of the morning watching Valerie and Technus run training drills in the lab. They were still at it when Danny, Sam, and Danielle showed up after lunch. Dani, whom Valerie had been tutoring in martial arts, ran into the lab to work out with her and Technus, while Tucker and Mr. Gray filled Danny and Sam in on what they'd discovered about Valerie's suit.

"So, how goes the research?" Tucker asked them when he was finished. "The Skulk and Lurk have anything good?"

"Did they!" Sam slammed a large, ancient-looking, leather-bound tome on the console in front of him, her eyes bright from the trip to her favorite bookstore. "Check this out! It's called _The Legend of Pariah Dark_. It's mostly about the Ghost King and his first reign, but there's a ton of stuff in here about Pariah's Keep, the skeleton warriors, and the Fright Knight, which are all interconnected. It even has some excerpts from that book about the Fright Knight I found that one Halloween, remember?"

Danny arched an eyebrow at her. "So let's make some extra copies of the important pages this time, since _you_ let the Fright Knight destroy the last one—"

She gave him a tart look. "_I_ let him...? How was _any_ of that _my_ fault?"

"I can let you make some copies here under my code," Mr. Gray offered. "I'd say this falls under 'ghost fighting research,' wouldn't you?" He looked toward the window, then to Tucker. "You got everything under control, right, Tucker?"

Tucker nodded. "It's not like there's a whole lot happening. Same specs, mostly."

"Just make sure that ghost doesn't decide to give her any more upgrades, okay?"

"He wouldn't dare pull anything, not while he still needs us," Danny assured Mr. Gray. "And we'll keep an eye on him."

"Okay, then." He rose from his chair. "Come on, Sam. The copiers are upstairs."

Danny took Mr. Gray's vacated seat next to Tucker. "So, what do we know about Valerie's... powers, I guess?"

Tucker could hear the discomfort in his friend's voice. Turning to look at him, he could also see it in his posture. "It's not your fault, you know." When Danny didn't answer, Tucker tried again. "And it's not exactly news. We knew something was wonky with that suit as soon as your mom found the anomaly in Val's DNA. Heck, we knew before that, when Technus first did what he did to her."

Still no answer. Tucker sighed. "Besides, it's not _powers_. It's power. Just one. Running that gear. That's all she can do. But she _is_ the one doing it. It's some sort of... ectoplasmic-electrical thing. It's like her whole body is some ultra-superconductor, transmitting this massive amount of ecto-electrical energy to her suit, her sled, and all its weaponry."

"And that's why it didn't shut down when everything else did when we were fighting Aragon?"

"Apparently. And, get this. While she can't control anything outside of her own gear, we do think we can add to her gear. If we attach something to her sled or her suit, it should become part of this whole ghost power thing, too. In theory, anyway. We're gonna have to test it out."

Danny rubbed his chin. "So, we could take the stuff my dad's coming up with to fight against Vlad's ecto powers, attach it to her sled, and even if Aragon shuts off the power, she'll still be able to fight?"

"In theory," Tucker repeated.

"Okay, that's actually pretty cool."

Tucker turned back to the lab just in time to catch Valerie do a back flip to land perfectly on her sled, which materialized under her at the exact moment her body was upright again. "_Very_ cool."

Beside him, Danny leaned back in his seat. "So, Tuck. Is it the tech power that's so cool? Or is it Valerie?"

Giving him only a sideways glance, Tucker shrugged. "Oh, I'd say fifty-fifty." When Danny raised an eyebrow at him, he grinned. "Yeah, okay. Probably more like eighty-twenty Valerie."

"I thought so."

Tucker pressed his lips together a moment before giving Danny his full attention. "So... you okay with that?"

Danny looked confused. "Why wouldn't I be okay with that?"

Now it was Tucker's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I can think of a few reasons." He let his gaze drift back to the window to where Valerie and Danielle were listening to something Technus was telling them.

Danny's jaw tightened. "Oh, no, Tuck. Don't you lay that on us. It's been hard enough on everyone as it is."

"Well, she is kinda your ex."

"We went on _three dates. _It's ancient history."

"Okay, okay, don't have a stroke. I just want to be really sure me liking her wouldn't cause any problems between us." Then, before he could stop himself, Tucker added under his breath, "Not that you gave me the same courtesy when you started liking her."

"Oh, please. If I had to ask your permission before asking out any girl you ever hit on, that'd pretty much cover _every_ girl. Including Sam, if you count the wish-verse where we hadn't met her yet."

That ticked Tucker's temper up a notch. "Oh, really? Well, did it ever occur to you that just because I have a very non-discriminatory policy toward the fairer sex, that doesn't mean that I can't like one in particular more than the others? A _lot_ more, even?"

"Wait." Danny looked like he was actually seeing him for the first time. "What are you saying here? That you like her a lot now, or that you liked her a lot back when you had that first crush on her?"

"I don't know. Maybe it wasn't anything huge back then, but how would you have known? You didn't even ask before you just went after her."

"I..." Danny blinked. "You're right. It just never occurred to me that you might've still liked her. I guess it should have, though."

"Yeah, it should have."

"But Tuck, if it bothered you, why didn't you say something back then?"

Chewing on the inside of his lip, he shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it seemed petty, all things considered."

"All things considered? What things?"

"Like the fact that you dating Val was way harder on Sam than it was on me, for one thing."

Danny looked like he'd just been sucker-punched. "So, I'm a jerk who screwed over _both_ my best friends. Great."

Tucker sighed. "No, I don't mean it like you did anything wrong. It just... it was what it was. And you're my friend and..."

"And what? Come on, Tuck, something else is going on here. What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just..." Tucker chewed his lip a little harder. This was getting a little too close to the place he didn't like to go, the place where he didn't gloss over all the new and interesting ways his best friend could end up dead. He tried skating the edge, without going too far out to where the ice was thin. "I couldn't begrudge you getting the girl, okay? That's how it's supposed to work."

Danny frowned. "How what's supposed to work?"

"The whole hero thing."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You remember when you and Val first started liking each other?"

"You mean, when Technus started messing with us?" He glanced through the window into the lab, looking like he could choke on the irony of watching Technus working with Valerie now.

"No, not Technus. Before that." Tucker could almost hear the metaphorical ice cracking under his feet. "Pariah Dark. You and Val started getting real chummy then."

"Okay, I guess that was when I first started noticing her. So?"

"So, it was also the first time..." Tucker stopped, searching for the right words. "When you took your dad's Ecto-Skeleton to go after the Ghost King, after your mom said using it could be fatal. That was the first time I really realized what it is you do." _Crack_. "And what it could do to you." The ice gave way, and Tucker found himself in frigid water, fighting to breathe. "So, I guess, it seemed a little petty to fight over a girl."

"Tucker, I..." Now Danny was the one who seemed to be struggling for words. "It's not like you guys haven't put yourselves on the line just as much as I have."

"Yeah, actually, it's exactly like that. Not that the stuff we do is exactly safe. But we're not the ones with big targets on our chests."

Danny's eyes hardened, full of self-reproach. "And yet, somehow, you're always the ones who pay. Vlad and the ecto-acne, Freakshow and our forced cross-country road trip, what my..." He looked down. "What my future self almost did to you guys."

Tucker reached out and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Dude, stop. You are in no way responsible for what Vlad or anyone else does, okay? And none of it even comes close to what they've done to you. This last time, when Vlad came back, we thought... Valerie's dad and I, we thought that Vlad..."

"I know." He met Tucker's gaze again. "Val and I thought he got all of you, too. Which is exactly my point. At least I have my ghost powers to protect me. But you guys? You guys don't, and you're out there, doing it all anyway. And when you are in danger, it's because of me. So I hardly think I should get a pass on treating you like a jerk on top of it. I should have remembered about you and Val, and I should have asked you how you felt before I went out with her. I'm sorry."

Tucker waved off the apology. "Water under the bridge, dude. I'm just... I dunno. I feel weird, crushing on Val again, after... well, everything. That's an awful lot of history. Weird history. I really need to know we're cool."

"Of course we're cool."

"Okay, then." Tucker turned to watch her again, finding it hard to breathe for a completely different reason now. "She really is something, isn't she?"

"She is." There wasn't the slightest note of irony or regret in Danny's voice. "So... how much of a crush are we talking, here?"

"Well, I haven't even wanted to hit on anyone else in months."

"_You?_ That _is_ serious. So, you gonna make a move, then?"

Reality came crashing back in, and he turned to Danny once more. "I don't think she thinks of me that way."

"Never know until you try."

Tucker snorted. "This from the guy who took two years to even figure out he was in love with his best friend?"

"And this from the guy who never misses an opportunity to rake both of us over the coals for taking so long?"

"Yeah, well that was totally different. You two have been like trains on a collision course since the day you met. Valerie, she's... Let's just say that, even though few girls can resist the Tucker Foley charisma and charm, Valerie might take a little... finessing."

"'Finessing?'" Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. You're doomed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Pushing her goggles up away from her eyes to the top of her head, Maddie blew out a breath in frustration. "Well, that one's another bust. Scratch Ecto-Dejecto off the list of chemicals that might reactivate inert ectoranium residue."

Beside her at her workbench in their basement lab, Jazz, wearing a blue hazmat suit identical to Maddie's own, complete with hood and goggles, tapped a finger to her chin. "Maybe we're going about this all wrong. What if the residue only gets one life, and after it's used up, it's useless? If we started with a fresh sample..."

"No. The properties that make ectoranium caustic and even lethal to ghosts are still there, even when the residue is inert. It will never be as potent as it once was, but if it were exposed to whatever it is that is feeding Vlad's powers, there should be enough of a reaction for us to at least observe and quantify. We just haven't found the right matter."

"Maybe it's not a chemical at all?"

"Everything's chemistry, Jazz. Atoms, molecules, elements, compounds, solids, liquids, gases... All matter interacts with its environment in some way. While what we're looking for might not be a chemical _solution_, like Ecto-Dejecto or ecto-purifier, the reaction itself will be chemical."

She frowned, tapping her own finger on her chin in almost exactly the same way her daughter had. "But you do have a point. It's possible that whatever we're looking for isn't something Vlad is deliberately introducing into his system, like an injection of ecto-purifier. It might be more environmental. A gas, maybe?"

"What kind of gas, though? Something found in the Ghost Zone?"

"Possibly. But we know it isn't ectoplasm, which is the most abundant substance in the Ghost Zone. And most of the rest of the atmosphere there is similar in composition to our own, which is why we don't need environmental suits when we go there."

She banged her fist on the work table, stirring up a small cloud of ectoranium residue, which then settled onto the table like a fine coating of soot. "There's something we're missing. Some piece of the Ghost Zone, or even of this world, that's different than everything else. That's where the answer lies, not in the chemicals and compounds we already know. But where to begin?"

"Mom, we've only been at this a few days."

"And every day—every _minute_ we don't have an answer is a minute more that Vlad has to take over some other realm, or even the Human World. We don't have time for hit-and-miss. We need answers." But letting frustration get the best of her wasn't the answer, so she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "You're right, though. Science can't be rushed."

Jazz put a hand on her mother's arm. "I may not know everything there is to know about chemistry, but I do know something about psychology. You're pushing yourself too hard, Mom, and that's making you much less effective. I think we need to take a break, work on something else for a while, then come back at it fresh."

Maddie sighed. When exactly had her daughter become so wise? Long before she'd actually grown up, that was for certain. "Maybe you're right. I need to analyze those fragments from the skeleton warriors anyway, so your father can use the data for some more effective weapons against them."

Jazz smiled. "That's a great idea. Something nice and routine to work on, so your subconscious can process this other problem a bit. I'll bet you'll have an epiphany before you've even gotten all the data for Dad."

"I hope you're right, sweetie." She reached out and cupped Jazz's cheek. "And thanks. You're going to be a wonderful psychologist someday, you know that?"

Blushing, Jazz ducked her head. "Thanks, Mom."

As Maddie reached over her head to the storage cabinet to retrieve the thermos full of skeleton fragments they'd collected during the battle at City Hall, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. By the time she pulled her head of the cabinet, thermos in hand, Danny, Danielle, and Sam were emerging from the stairwell.

"Hey, Mom. We need to use the Specter Speeder to go check out the Far Frozen, if that's okay."

"Sure, sweetie. When will you be back?"

"We're meeting Tuck and Valerie at the Nasty Burger at seven, so a little before then." He looked at Jazz. "You wanna meet us there, too? It'll be sort of an info-swap."

"Sure."

Danny looked at the work table. "How's it going with you guys, anyway? Any luck finding the source of Vlad's power?"

"Not yet. Your sister and I are gonna take a little break from that and analyze these skeleton fragments for your father before we get back to it." Maddie opened the thermos and dumped its contents into several petri dishes lined up along the work table. "How is your research going?"

Sam answered for him as the three kids approached the table. "Pretty good. Our internet research has been mostly a bust, but today we found a book at the Skulk and Lurk that has a lot of information about Pariah's Keep, the Fright Knight, and the skeleton warriors. Hopefully there will be some useful stuff in there on fighting them."

Maddie raised her eyebrows in interest and looked over her shoulder at her son's girlfriend. "There's something about the skeleton warriors in there? I'd like to see that, if I could. There could be information there that would make some of the tests I was going to run redundant."

"Actually, I made copies of a whole bunch of different sections." Sam reached into her backpack. "I could leave the copies with you and—"

"Dani!"

Danny's sudden cry of alarm startled them all, and Maddie gasped when she saw Danielle collapse into his arms. He gently lowered her to the floor so that he was cradling her in his lap, and Maddie knelt down beside them, putting a hand on the girl's too-pale forehead. "Dani? Sweetie? Are you okay?"

"I'm..." She swallowed, and tried again. "I don't know. I was fine a second ago."

Danny looked stricken. "I knew I should've stopped you from working out with Valerie and Technus. You've barely recovered from the last time Mom had to give you ecto-purifier."

She gave him an irritated look. "It wasn't... working out that did it. I was fine until... just now." Pushing back against him, she tried to sit upright, but Danny didn't look like he was about to let her go.

Maddie was relieved that she was at least lucid and well enough to bristle at Danny's protectiveness, although her labored speaking, as if she couldn't catch her breath, was troubling. "Let her go," Maddie directed her son. "I want to see if she can sit up on her own. And what kind of working out are you talking about?"

Danielle pushed at Danny's chest again, and this time he let her go, allowing her to scoot away from him to sit cross-legged on the floor. "It was nothing. Just some... martial arts stuff. Technus was teaching Valerie how to... better control her sled and stuff, and I was doing... some moves with them, but I wasn't using any ghost powers. And I was fine until just this second."

"When you came down here?"

Dani nodded.

"She really was fine until just now," Sam confirmed. "We were even all joking around on the way back from Axion."

Maddie frowned. "I wonder if something in the lab is making you feel sick." She looked over at Danny, who was still hovering and pale with worry. "Sweetie, really, she's going to be fine. Just give her a little air."

Jazz grabbed her brother by the arm. "Would you back off and give Mom some room to see what's going on?"

Reluctantly, Danny did as Jazz asked and stood up, while Maddie turned her attention back to Danielle. "What exactly happened? Did you get dizzy or nauseous when you came downstairs?"

"A little of both. But not... when I first came down. Just now."

"Jazz? Is that bottle of ecto-purifier still on the table?"

"I don't need ecto-purifier! I'm just... a little woozy!"

"I got it." Danny reached across the table for the ecto-purifier Maddie and Jazz had used as one of the chemicals to test on the ectoranium residue. "Is this—ouch!" He jumped back from the table, waving his hand as if he'd just been burned. "What is that stuff all over the table? Is that ectoranium?"

Maddie's eyes widened as she looked up at her son. "Did it shock you just now?"

"A little. Not as bad as at Clockwork's Tower that first time, right after it got destroyed, but it didn't exactly tickle, either."

Jazz leaned over to examine the ectoranium residue. "Mom, look at this! Instead of black, like before, it's turned sort of a dark green. The Ecto-Dejecto must've worked after all!"

Maddie shook her head. "No, it can't be the Ecto-Dejecto. We would've noticed the changes sooner. The only thing different is—" She gasped as it hit her, and she looked at Danielle. "You said you didn't feel sick until you came over here, to the work table?"

Danielle nodded. "You and Sam were talking about the book and the skeleton warriors."

Maddie looked up at Jazz. "It's the skeleton fragments! Jazz, put them back in the thermos."

"What?"

"Just put them back. I think they're what's making Danielle sick."

Without questioning her further, Jazz scooped up the thermos, thumbed it on, and used it like a vacuum cleaner to suck up the bone fragments Maddie had just emptied out into the petri dishes on the table.

Maddie turned back to Danielle. "Feeling any better?"

She took a deep breath. "A little, yeah. Like it just got easier to breathe."

"What just happened here?" Danny crouched beside them once more.

"Mom, quick!" Jazz sounded excited. "You've gotta see this! The ectoranium residue is turning black again."

With one more confirmation that Danielle was indeed feeling better, Maddie got up off the floor and leaned over the table. Jazz was right. Some of the soot was now a sort of forest green, but it was quickly darkening to dull black once more. "Danny, put your hand on it again."

"Why does everyone like to use me as a guinea pig to see if ectoranium hurts? Newsflash—it does!"

"I don't think it's active anymore. Just touch it and see."

Still grumbling in protest, Danny stood up and put his hand down on the table. "There, happy? It..." He stopped, picked up his hand, and examined the soot on his palm. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Maddie grinned in triumph. "It's the skeleton warriors! That's what activated the ectoranium! Not just the residue on the table, but in Danielle's system. That's why she got dizzy and nauseous when she came over to the table. The skeleton warriors are feeding the ectoranium!"

Danny frowned. "Wait. You mean they're what's keeping Vlad powered up?"

"I think so. Either that, or they've been exposed to whatever it is that's keeping Vlad powered up. I'll need to run some tests, find out if whatever power they have is intrinsic or residual. Is it actually in the skeletons, or is it in the environment around them?" She looked at her son. "Where do they come from?"

He shrugged. "Pariah's Keep, I guess. I first saw them when I went there to get more ideas for that haunted house Mr. Lancer asked me to help with that one Halloween. We saw them again when the Ghost King took over the Ghost Zone and Amity Park. They seem to be connected to whoever is controlling Pariah's Keep."

His eyes widened as if he'd just realized what he was saying. "Pariah's Keep! That's Vlad's base! If the skeletons are what's powering him, or if there's something else at Pariah's Keep that the skeletons were exposed to..."

"We need to figure out which it is. It would help if I could actually go there and run some tests on site."

"Uh... that's not gonna happen, Mom. Not without defeating Vlad."

"Catch twenty-two, I know. I'll have to settle for testing the bone fragments. And maybe the next time we have to fight them, we can capture one whole? There are a few tests I could run, but I need more than fragments."

Danny gave her an odd look. "What kind of tests?"

"Radiation scans, spectrocity readings, a few—" Then it hit her what he was thinking, and she cringed, remembering things she'd said in his presence, sometimes even about Danny Phantom specifically, before she'd known she was talking about her own son.

_Let's dissect the ghost! _

_We can't completely vaporize it. Don't you want to at least examine the remains? _

_Once a filthy ghost, always a filthy ghost!_

With some effort, she looked him in the eye. "Nothing invasive, Danny. Just scans of the radiation they emit, and how that compares to core samples from the fragments I already have."

He nodded, looking a little sheepish, but also comforted. Even though the skeletons were a kind of drone creature and not independently sentient like many of the other ghosts they encountered, Danny still identified with them. He was a ghost_,_ and no matter how much she'd reconciled herself to his powers and abilities and the special circumstances they presented, she kept stumbling over the fact that it wasn't all just a set of attributes she could analyze as a scientist.

It was who he _was_.

Maddie gave him a reassuring smile, then noticed Danielle climbing to her feet. Reaching down to help her, she asked, "How you feeling now, sweetie?"

"Great. It's like it never happened." She looked at Danny. "We should get going. Frostbite is expecting us."

"Oh, no. You almost passed out just now. You're gonna stay home and rest."

"Danny, I'm fine now. You heard your mom. It was the skeleton warriors. Now that those fragments are gone, I feel great."

"No."

She turned to Maddie, pleading. "Would you tell him?"

Maddie sighed. "Danny, I think she'll be fine. Let her go with you. There's nothing for her to do here, and if she's feeling better..." She offered her son a small smile. "You can't protect them forever, sweetie."

"It's true, Danny," Jazz said. "You know how you hate it when I hover over you."

Sam put a hand on his arm. "She'll be okay with us."

He jerked his arm away. "I hate it when the women all gang up on me." Grimacing, he nodded to Dani. "Fine, you win. Let's get going."

"Before you go, I'll definitely be wanting the copies from that book you have, Sam. I'm suddenly more interested than ever in these skeleton warriors, what they do, and where they come from."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Sam spent most of the ride to the Far Frozen poring over _The Legend of Pariah Dark_., but as soon as the Specter Speeder passed through the ice tunnel that marked the entrance to the frozen realm, her attention was drawn to the view spread out below them, and she almost gasped at how different it was than the last time she and Danny had visited three months earlier, when Vlad first reemerged.

Then, as every other time she'd been here, the strange, almost Earth-like realm of the Ghost Zone had resembled a sleepy little village in the Himalayas, with its frozen mountains under a dark, purple sky and simple dwellings carved out of caves and ice. It had always been vast, stark, and barren, with only a few Yeti-like ghost creatures dotting the landscape as they went about their business.

Now, the ice, snow, and purple sky were the same, but it was no longer a barren, sleepy village. Instead, it was teeming with life. Or, whatever passed for life in the Ghost Zone, anyway. Ghosts of every size, shape, and kind filled the village square. It was so crowded, Danny had to park the Specter Speeder a ways away from the village and, as they made their way to the square, Sam marveled at the throngs of ghosts everywhere they looked. "I feel like I'm in Manhattan instead of the Ghost Zone."

Danny flashed a wry grin. "Only with fewer freaks."

Some of the ghosts Sam recognized. Walker, the self-appointed warden of the Ghost Zone jail and keeper of his own arbitrary laws, brushed past them, his black fedora pulled low over his head and his arms wrapped around himself as if to ward off the cold.

Sam could commiserate—she was beginning to shiver, despite the ski parka she was wearing—but she always thought the freezing temperatures didn't bother ghosts. Danny seemed impervious to it when he was in his ghost form, like he was now, and even Danielle didn't seem cold, although that could be explained by the fact that she, like Sam, was wearing a heavy parka.

The child ghost Youngblood, however, was dressed in a snowsuit, although Sam suspected that was less defense against the cold than a costume to go along with his current activity. With his pet parrot perched on his shoulder, he was trying in vain to build a snowman, but the snow in the dry, arctic air of the Far Frozen was too powdery to stick. After several failed attempts, he started kicking at the snow in a fit of pique, until the parrot suggested he make a snow angel instead. Delighted, he flopped on his back into a large drift, his arms stretched out at his sides, and began sweeping them and his legs back and forth.

Across the square, the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady were floating huddled together. At first Sam thought they were trying to stay warm, but then she saw that they were cooing over a blue-blanketed bundle in the Lunch Lady's arms.

Sam's eyes widened. "Is that...? It can't be."

"What?" Danny gave her an inquisitive look.

"The Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady. Look what they're holding." Sam jerked her head in their direction.

Danny squinted to see, then his eyes widened. "No way."

"That's a _baby_. Do you think it's—?"

"Box Lunch," Danny finished, his voice a mixture of humor and shock. "The Box Ghost was just at my house the other day, and he never said anything. And that guy never shuts up. He's almost as bad as Technus. I'd have thought if he'd had a kid, he'd have brought along a big old cigar box or something and announced it to the world." He actually sounded a little hurt that he'd been left out of the loop.

Danielle shrugged. "You're thinking like a human, not a ghost. Ghosts brag about their attachments, not their family. Unless family _is_ their attachment. Besides, the Box Ghost is desperate to up his Ghost Zone cred. He wants to be seen as a threat, not a family man."

"How does Box Lunch even exist?" Sam shook her head, trying to piece together the anachronistic events surrounding their previous encounter with the ghost as a young girl. "I mean, I know Clockwork sent an older kid version of her from the future to—what was he trying to do, sending all these ghosts after you again?"

"Get me to change my future."

"Okay." Sam never did quite follow Clockwork's logic on that, but then, she often couldn't find logic in the things the time ghost did. "So, mission accomplished, future changed. Then why is she here?

Danny blinked. "I guess I didn't change everything. Box Ghost and Lunch Lady must've still—" He stopped short of completing the sentence out loud, but too late to keep the unwanted mental image from forming in Sam's mind, and the two of them shuddered in unison. "Ew!"

Danielle, however, smiled. "Aw, I think it's sweet."

Sam and Danny exchanged horrified glances before repeating their mutual assessment. "Ew!"

As they continued to walk through the village, Sam recognized several other ghosts she knew. Desiree, the genie-like granter of wishes. The monochromatic Sidney Poindexter. Amorpho, the faceless shapeshifter. Johnny 13 and his girlfriend, Kitty. Klemper, who wanted to be everyone's friend, and who was the only other ghost Sam knew of besides Danny and Frostbite's people who had ice powers.

There were many more ghosts, however, whom Sam had never seen before. Some of them were human-like, with only their green or blue faces or the fact that they were floating to distinguish them from normal humans. Others were distinctly _not_ human, ranging from vicious and deformed-looking animals to shapeless blobs of green ectoplasm that didn't look much like anything at all.

Sam struggled to take it all in. "I can't believe how many ghosts are here. I mean, I knew this was pretty much the only place left in the Ghost Zone that Vlad hasn't taken over, but it never really sunk in exactly what that meant. It's like the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina."

Danny's expression was grim. "Pretty much. There are a few pockets here and there that Vlad hasn't touched, but almost every ghost in the Zone who won't welcome their new overlord is now a refugee, and this is the only safe place for them."

Danielle looked around, her blue eyes wide and sober. "I recognize a bunch of them from Dora's Kingdom. I... I can't believe this is what it's come to. Their homes, everything... gone."

"We'll get it all back, I promise." There was more ice in Danny's voice than on the ground beneath their feet.

"I know, cos." Danielle gave him a confident smile. "I have faith in you."

Before he could answer, two mammoth snow creatures came striding toward them through the crowd. The first was Frostbite who, with his arm made of ice and the blue sash and loincloth denoting his status as leader, was easy to identify. The other one looked no different than any of the other snow creatures, with two normal arms and tan clothing, but Sam guessed it was probably Hailstone, the same creature that had been at the meeting at Danny's house a few days earlier.

Frostbite raised his arm in welcome. "Greetings, Great One and companions! Welcome back to the Realm of the Far Frozen. As always, you are our most honored guests."

Danny's responding smile was wan. "Doesn't look like you have room for any more guests, honored or otherwise."

Frostbite surveyed the crowded landscape, his eyes dark and sad. "No, we are quite full at the moment. What is that expression your culture uses? No room at the inn?"

"I'll say. Where is everyone staying? You can't possibly have shelter for this many ghosts."

"Oh, you'd be surprised at the amount of shelter we have," the other snow creature answered, and Sam recognized by his voice that it was, in fact, Hailstone. "Underneath the snow and ice lie miles of tunnels and caverns. There are many places to shelter all the refugees and keep them safe from the Anti-Ghost."

"So long as we can keep him out of here."

Frostbite showed a mouthful of teeth, which Sam knew was a smile despite its fearsome appearance. "Yes. And to that end, come. Let us talk defensive strategies. While I don't fool myself that the Far Frozen is invulnerable, I have faith that, together, we will determine its weaknesses and find a way to defend our great realm from any who would wish to conquer us."

"Wait a minute." Danny looked around before turning back to his host. "Where's Clockwork? Shouldn't he be in on this?"

"He left this morning on an errand of his own. I believe he is hoping to find the Observants who survived the attack on their realm and went into hiding. Perhaps he can convince them that there are times such as this where action is necessary."

Sam grimaced. "Why bother?" She had little use for creatures whose main creed was to observe but never act.

Frostbite looked down at her. "If there are enough of them, it is possible they could help him restore his tower... and his full powers."

Danny's eyes widened. "Really? That would be a _huge_ help."

"I believe it is what you humans would call 'a long shot.' Nevertheless, Clockwork felt it was the best use of his talents at the moment. Now, allow Hailstone and me to give you a brief tour of our realm, show you its inner workings and how we defend ourselves. Then, let us use _our_ collective talents to see how we can protect this last remaining stronghold in the Ghost Zone."

* * *

Apparently "brief tour" in Ghost Yeti time meant a two-hour-long exploration into every frozen nook and cranny of their realm. Still, Sam had to admit, she was thoroughly impressed. Despite the Tibetan village feel, Frostbite's people were even more technologically advanced than she'd ever imagined.

There was a huge cavern that served as a sort of garage for hundreds of futuristic hover cars that the snow creatures used for transportation across their realm and out into the Ghost Zone at large, and a medical facility that was like something out of Star Wars, complete with deicing chambers that looked like bacta tanks. Danny had told her about the med center once, but she'd never been able to quite believe something like it could exist in such a rustic place until she saw it for herself.

Near the medical center was another futuristic area, the Defense Center, which housed their communications and defense systems. From there, they could monitor the parts of the Ghost Zone immediately adjacent to their realm, and defend themselves from any intruders or invaders.

"Our primary defenses are physical," Frostbite explained. "The only way into our realm is through a long, narrow crevasse. The ice itself is a natural barrier that is resistant to ectoranium, ectoplasm, and any other weapons known in the Infinite Realms. But we have technological defenses, as well. We've shielded the entrance with something similar to your ghost shields and, like yours, they've been updated to work against ectoranium powers as well, and we have sentries stationed along the tunnel to control who comes in and out."

Danny nodded. "Good passive defenses. What about active ones?"

"We have our own ghost and ice powers, of course. We also have our hover vehicles and offensive weapons similar to the ones your father builds. Since the time of Pariah Dark's first reign, our realm has never been breached, Great One. Not even by the Ghost King himself when Vlad reawakened him, thanks to you returning him to the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep."

"I had help. But speaking of Pariah Dark, my mom found out something about those skeleton warriors, or maybe Pariah's Keep itself. She thinks the skeletons or something they've been exposed to, possibly at the castle, is what's feeding Vlad's ectoranium powers."

Frostbite nodded, his features grave. "I am not surprised. Pariah's Keep has long been a seat of great evil. The Ghost King, the Fright Knight, and now the Anti-Ghost... all of them have wreaked havoc across the Infinite Realms from there. It may well be a place of dark power."

Sam shrugged her backpack off her shoulders and unzipped it to pull out her new book. "You might be interested in this, then. It's called _The Legend of Pariah Dark_, and there are a lot of stories here about his first reign, Pariah's Keep, the skeleton warriors, and the Fright Knight. We might find some useful information here."

"Indeed, Sam of the Very Vegan." She tried not to wince at Frostbite's use of the "title" Danny had arbitrarily bestowed upon her when they'd first met. "We, too, have legends from that dark time in the history of the Ghost Zone. Perhaps our next task should be to study those legends to see what we can glean from the past that will help us protect our future."

Dani groaned, throwing her head back in a dramatic display of teen angst. "I spent all morning at the Skulk and Lurk looking over books, and you want us to do _more_ reading? I was kind of hoping to see Dora and some of the others from our kingdom."

Danielle didn't notice Danny flinch at her casual reference to Dora's land as "our" kingdom, but Sam did.

He recovered quickly, however. "I'd kind of like to talk to some of the ghosts who are living here now, too. Get a feel for who's just here for the protection, and who wants to fight. Maybe we should split up, then? Sam, you can stay with Frostbite and study up on Pariah's Keep, and Dani and I can do some visiting, get a better lay of the land. We can meet up around six? That would give us time to get back to Amity Park before we're supposed to meet Tucker and Val at the Nasty Burger."

"Excellent plan, Great One! And when you finish getting the 'lay of the land,' as you say, why don't you show your young kinswoman the shrine we have dedicated in your honor?"

Danielle looked at Danny with an amused grin. "They made a _shrine_ to you? This I gotta see."

"It's no big deal." But his pleased smile belied his humility.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Guess we'll meet there at six, then. _Great One_."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

A self-confessed bookworm and lover of history, mythology, and folklore, Sam decided that easily the most awe-inspiring thing in all of the Far Frozen was not its stark, beautiful landscape or its technologically advanced medical center and defense systems but, rather, its Archive Caverns.

A series of interconnected caves and tunnels, the Archives contained more Ghost Zone lore than could fill three Skulk and Lurks, and ranged from the almost crude cave drawings in the shrine commemorating Danny's defeat of the Ghost King, to a futuristic holographic library, and everything in between. There were books and scrolls and stone tablets mixed in with ghostly record-keeping devices that Sam could not even begin to comprehend.

The centerpiece of the Archive Caverns was the Map Chamber which, up until Clockwork had hidden it away in the time stream, had housed the Infi-Map.

Sam, Frostbite, Hailstone, and two female archivists named Glacier and Icecap spent a long but somewhat productive afternoon in a reading room off the Map Chamber poring over Ghost Zone lore about Pariah's Keep and its various masters. _The Legend of Pariah Dark_ had proven to be a fairly extensive history of everything connected to the Ghost King's first reign, and Sam had taken pages of notes on stuff that seemed important, some of which she'd once known but had forgotten in the nearly three years since she'd read _The Chronicles of the Fright Knight. _

About twenty minutes before Sam was supposed to meet Danny and Danielle, Frostbite and Hailstone were called away to deal with some argument over housing among two groups of refugees. Glacier and Icecap, not quite as comfortable having a human in their archives without their leader present, began packing up their documents almost immediately afterward, and Sam decided to head for Danny's shrine to wait for him and Danielle there. As she walked through the tunnel that connected the Map Chamber to the shrine, however, she could hear Danny's and Danielle's voices already inside.

"I can't believe they made all these cave paintings in honor of you," Dani was saying. "You're, like, a god to them or something."

Sam rolled her eyes at the swelled head that was bound to give him as he answered with another show of false modesty. "Oh, come on. Not a _god_."

"They call you _Savior_ of the Ghost Zone."

"That's just Frostbite being Frostbite. It's not that big a deal."

"Yeah, but... I never realized how much there is about you that I don't know, _cousin_. Like, for example... is it true you and Valerie used to be an item?"

Sam froze just inside the mouth of the cave, then took a step back into the shadows of the tunnel between it and the Map Chamber. Valerie and Danny were ancient history, finished, done. She _knew_ that. But she couldn't help but wonder what Danny would have to say about their relationship to Danielle.

From her vantage point, she could see his shoulders stiffen slightly, but he kept looking at the drawings of himself fighting Pariah Dark. With a deliberate casual air, he asked Dani, "Who told you that?"

"Technus."

Danny huffed in annoyance. "Do they have therapy in the Ghost Zone? Maybe he should go see Spectra or something, 'cause that guy needs serious help. He's waaaay too interested in my personal life."

"Hm. Valerie wasn't too happy when he brought it up, either, so I'm gonna take that as a 'yes.' What's the story?"

He sighed. "We went out a couple of times, but nothing came of it."

"Why not?"

"You met her before, when she didn't know who I was. Maybe you noticed—she _hated_ Danny Phantom back then. A _lot_. Kind of put a damper on the whole relationship."

"She knows now, and she doesn't hate Danny Phantom."

He eyed her with suspicion. "Your point?"

"Don't you wonder—?"

"No, I don't."

She crossed her arms and leveled a look at him that was somewhere between a challenge and an accusation. "Because of Sam."

Sam pressed her lips together. It wasn't exactly news that Danielle preferred Valerie to her, but hearing her press Danny on the subject still put a knot in her stomach.

Danny's answer, however, went a long way toward loosening it. "Um... _yeah_. I mean, I'm kind of in love with her."

In the three months since they'd finally gotten up the courage to say "I love you" to each other, Sam had mostly gotten to the point that it didn't feel completely surreal when he said it. But something about hearing him tell Danielle how he felt—and in response to questions about Valerie, no less—made it more real. And it meant more to Sam than she cared to admit.

Dani, however, was less than impressed. She waved her hand with an impatient air: "I know, I know. And she's great and everything, and you guys are great together, but..."

Sam blinked. So Danielle wasn't _totally_ opposed to her and Danny. That was something.

Danny noticed, too, and his stiff, defensive posture relaxed into something more quizzical. Tilting his head, he scrutinized Danielle, as if trying to puzzle her out. "So, then, what's this about? Why are you digging up ancient history?"

"Don't you think maybe I have a vested interest in your 'ancient history,' _cousin_?" She flashed him a pointed look. "Especially if it involves Valerie. After all, we _are_ Vlad's Three Little Guinea Pigs—"

"Whoa." Danny held up his hand, cutting her off. "Stop right there. You're as bad as Tucker, reading more into things than what was really there. Vlad and all the ways he's messed with each of us... that has nothing to do with what happened—or didn't happen—between me and Valerie when we went out those couple of times, so don't go connecting things in your head that aren't connected. And your relationship with her is separate from that, too. I'm really glad you two are getting so close. That's awesome, it really is. But it has nothing to do with _my_ relationship with her, okay? We went out a few times, it didn't work out, and now I'm with Sam. End of story."

"Okay, I get it. But... aren't you even a little curious what would've happened if Valerie had known who you were before you and Sam got together?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

Sam inched closer to the mouth of the cave. _Was_ he just a little curious? _Did_ he ever wonder what could have been?

He sighed. "Listen, Dani. I'm kind of a slow learner, but I finally got something Clockwork has been trying to teach me for a while now. There are, like, an infinite number of choices we can make, or paths life can take. But there's only one path it _does_ take, and you can spend all your time thinking about all the 'what ifs' and the gazillion ways things could have gone if only _this_ thing or _that_ thing had happened differently. Then you end up like Vlad, always worrying about what you can't have instead of seeing what you _do_ have. I'd rather focus on what _is,_ and enjoy the view of the path I'm _on, _rather than worry about what other views I might be missing. What _might have_ happened between me and Valerie doesn't matter, because what _did_ happen is I ended up with Sam."

Dani looked thoughtful. "So, you're saying you're glad Valerie didn't know the truth back then, because if it had worked out between you two, you never would've gotten together with Sam?"

He shook his head, frowning slightly, as if trying to put a difficult concept into words. "That's not it. There are a lot of ways it could've gone differently with Valerie, and a lot of different ways it could've ended. Most of them bad. But it definitely would have ended."

Making a scoffing noise at the back of her throat, Dani shot him a look of disdain. "If you say you and Sam were destined to be together or something lame like that, I'm gonna hurl."

"Ugh, no, that's not what I mean. It's just, Sam and me... we've been together a long time, Dani. I kept telling myself it was just as friends, but the truth is, by the time Valerie came into the picture, I already felt more than friendship toward Sam. A _lot_ more."

Sam let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It wasn't anything he hadn't told her before, really. But again, hearing him say it to someone else, especially to Danielle, made it seem a little more real.

Danny sighed. "Only, I guess I wasn't ready to deal with that yet, so I kept looking for other girls to crush on, because it was easier than feeling what I felt. Not that I didn't like Valerie a lot. I did. I _do_. Which is exactly why I'm glad things went the way they did. Because if we'd have gotten more involved than we did, and if she'd have found out I was lying to her about who I was, or about my feelings for Sam, or..."

He shook his head. "There are _so_ many ways it could've gotten very, _very_ ugly. Maybe even ruining any chance of us being friends. And _that_ would've been something I'd really regret."

Danielle's face look like she'd just chugged some soda fountain syrup without the soda. "Please don't say you love Valerie, but you're _in_ love with Sam. That's even lamer than the destiny thing."

"Well...?" He gave her a sheepish shrug.

She rolled her eyes. "You are such a dork."

He grinned at her. "So I've been told."

Snorting in contempt, she rolled her eyes again, but Sam could see the affection behind the mocking. Then, her expression sobered and she watched him a moment, as if trying to get up the courage to say something more.

"What?"

She bit her lower lip. "What's it like, being in love?"

He was clearly caught off guard by the question. "I don't know. It's great. _She's_ great. So... _passionate_."

Sam felt her cheeks get warm, but it wasn't until Danielle made a disgusted face that Danny seemed to realize what he'd just said. "Ew, no! I don't mean _that_. I mean... she just grabs onto things that matter to her and she never, ever gives up. I..." He paused, a wistful look crossing his features. "I wish I were more like her."

Sam's eyes widened. That was the last thing she'd been expecting him to say. Yes, he'd told her many times that she was the one who'd inspired him to want to do whatever he could to help people, but she'd never thought of him as lacking in comparison to her, and it never occurred to her that he might see it that way. She wasn't just passionate, after all. She was also abrasive and judgmental where he was open and amiable. She tended to think of their personality differences as complementary.

Dani, too, looked surprised. "What? You're totally like that. You never give up."

"I give up all the _time_." A sort of self-deprecating grin curled on his lips. "Then she kicks my butt and gets me back on track. She makes me want to be a better person."

This seemed to unsettle Danielle. "You're a good person." From her tone and her expression, Sam knew she wasn't talking in generalities. She was talking specifically about his relationship to her.

Danny, too, caught the implication, and the self-deprecating grin became a self-berating wince as he looked down, no longer able to meet her gaze. "Not always."

"Always to _me_." There was a quiet intensity to her voice now and... something else Sam couldn't quite put her finger on. A smallness she wasn't used to seeing in Dani, who was all bluster all the time. When Danny still wouldn't look at her, she turned to examine one of the cave drawings of him striking a rather heroic pose.

"You know, there's a lot you miss when you don't get to actually live the first twelve years of your life. Vlad taught me a whole bunch of stuff. Math, science, English, history. Ever hear of this thing called the Cram-Tastic Mark Five? Thanks to that, I learned pretty much everything your average twelve-year-old needed to know in just a few months. School stuff especially came pretty easy to me. Heck, I'll bet I'm gonna be an A student, like Jazz, when I start school next fall."

She paused, tracing her finger along the lines of one of the drawings. "But I never understood love. I mean, you'd think I would, since it was practically the only thing Vlad ever talked about. All he ever wanted was love. Maddie's love. 'Daniel's' love." Even her use of air quotes around the name Vlad called him wasn't enough to keep him from flinching, as if the word itself was a physical blow. "Love, love, love. Everything Jack Fenton had that was supposed to be his."

Sam felt her insides start to boil, but it was nothing to the look of fury in Danny's eyes. Curling his hands into fists, he spoke in something like a low growl. "Vlad doesn't know the first thing about love. He only wants to _own_ and _control_. It's all about _him_, what _he_ wants. That's not love, Dani."

"I know. That's why I never really got what love was." She turned from the drawing to face the real Danny. "Until I met you."

Sam had to squeeze her eyes closed and bite her lip, hard, against the bile in her throat and the tears that threatened. That _bastard_. What he'd done to Danny. To _Danielle_...

When he finally spoke, Danny's voice sounded strangled. "Dani..."

"You're a good person, Danny," she repeated. "Don't ever say you're not."

Before he could even attempt to formulate a response, Frostbite's booming voice resonated from the outside entrance at the opposite end of the cavern from where Sam was hiding in the shadows. She opened her eyes just in time to see him duck into the shrine, brushing snow off his shoulders. "Great One! How was your visit with Dora and your cousin's other friends?"

Danny coughed, quickly schooling his features into a somewhat blank smile. "Uh... it was good, Frostbite. Find anything useful in Sam's book?" Then, he frowned and looked around. "Where is she? Wasn't she with you?"

"I was called away to mediate an argument over shelter between two groups of refugees. She is most likely still in the reading room."

At the mention of her name, Sam retreated back into the tunnel a few steps before clearing her own throat and forcing a mildly cheerful expression onto her face. "Looking for me?" she called out, striding into the cave as if she'd just arrived. Keeping her voice light, she turned to Danny and Danielle. "You guys about ready to head out? I'm _so_ up for some summer heat and a nice, hot tofu soy melt."

She pretended not to notice the way Danny avoided Danielle's eyes, instead looking at the cave drawings. But now, rather than barely concealed pride, Sam saw something in his eyes that looked much more like shame. "Yeah. I'm done here."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Danny had been expecting a long, uncomfortable ride through the Ghost Zone and back to the Fenton Portal. Fortunately, Sam, whose enthusiasm for research into creepy ghost lore bordered on disturbing, was so excited about what she and Frostbite's people had found, she spent most of the trip back talking about it. Not that he really heard any of it. His mind was too full of everything Danielle had said and the unrelenting guilt that every word had heaped onto his shoulders.

How could she talk about him showing her what love was? Was it love to abandon her to the Ghost Zone after first learning of her existence nearly two years ago? Was it love to do it again a year later just because he'd stabilized her ghost powers?

Was it love to not even bother looking for her after the asteroid crisis, when his parents knew the truth and he no longer had to fear telling them everything?

They'd taken her in so readily, with such open arms, the way they took in everyone. If he'd have only brought her to them a year ago. Six months ago. After Vlad had come back. _Anything_ but waiting until it was too late. She was a part of him, made from his DNA, his responsibility... and he'd done nothing.

Even if Sam's gushing over her book couldn't drown out the shouting accusations of his own conscience, it did fill what would have otherwise been an unbearable silence in the Specter Speeder, almost like she knew that's what he needed. It allowed him time to put aside his guilt over the many ways he'd failed Dani, so that by the time they got back to FentonWorks to catch a ride with Jazz over to the Nasty Burger, he was ready to focus once more on matters at hand.

And it's not like he really missed anything, not being able to focus on what Sam was saying. Once they met up with Tucker and Val, she would just have to repeat everything for everyone else's benefit anyway.

Sure enough, as soon as they'd gotten their food and settled into one of the Nasty Burger's extra-large booths, Sam plopped her big, heavy volume onto the table and started thumbing through its pages. "I am _so_ loving this book. You wouldn't believe the stuff that's in here about the history of Pariah Dark, his castle, the Fright Knight—"

Valerie scowled. "Who cares about ancient history? Last time I checked, we weren't fighting Pariah Dark."

"No, but we are fighting his skeleton warriors and the Fright Knight, and Vlad is operating out of Pariah's Keep. It's all connected. The stuff on the Fright Knight alone could be really useful. And Danny specifically asked me to find information on the Soul Shredder and the different ways it works." She flipped to one of many bookmarks. "Remember this, Danny?

"'_To end the storm  
To cease the fear  
The Sword must sheathe  
In pumpkin near.'"_

Danny blinked at the familiar but forgotten verse, which suddenly took on new meaning, given what had happened since he'd first heard those words. "Putting the sword in a pumpkin reverses everything! Why didn't we remember that when he'd used it to suck Amity Park into the Ghost Zone?"

Danielle raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you saying all we have to do to defeat the Fright Knight is find a pumpkin and stick his sword in it?"

"Easier said than done," Jazz pointed out. "June isn't exactly pumpkin season."

Shaking her head, Sam flipped back a few pages. "It doesn't matter, because it won't work in this situation, anyway. And it wouldn't have worked during the whole Ghost King thing, either."

That made Danny feel a little less like an idiot. "Why not?"

"Because the Fright Knight is just that—a _knight_. And 'knight' is a title of _service_ to a sovereign ruler or nation."

"So?"

"He started out as the Ghost King's servant. That's the era the earliest records of him are from, anyway. As Pariah's second in command, the Fright Knight led the Legion of Skeleton Warriors, and he used his signature sword, the Soul Shredder, to imprison dissenters in the Realm of Fear, a dimension where they would live out their worst fear. But then, the Ancient Ones locked Pariah into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep... on All Hallow's Eve."

"All Hallow's Eve?" Tucker asked through a mouthful of french fries. "You mean, Halloween?"

"Exactly. And that's how the Fright Knight became the Spirit of Halloween. Freed from his service to the Ghost King, he became sort of a knight-errant, no longer affiliated to a sovereign. To mark that moment, he declared himself the Spirit of All Hallow's Eve—Halloween."

Sam skimmed the page with her finger. "It says that once the Ghost King was out of the way, the Fright Knight vowed he would rule the Ghost Zone. He used the Soul Shredder to start a massive ecto-storm that would 'usher in his reign of terror.' The Ancient Ones used whatever leftover power or magic they had from creating the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep to turn one of the most basic symbols of the season, a pumpkin, into a seal. They managed to take the Fright Knight's sword from him, then sheathed it in a pumpkin, putting him to sleep, just like his former master. Removing the sword wakes him up."

Danny nodded. "Okay, that makes sense, I guess. But that doesn't explain why it wouldn't work now."

"It only works to defeat the Spirit of Halloween."

"So the rest of the year, we're out of luck?"

"No. It doesn't have anything to do with the date. It has to do with the Fright Knight himself. It only works when he _is_ the Spirit of Halloween. He has to be acting on his own, not on behalf of a sovereign."

Danielle gave an absent stir of her milkshake. "I get it. He's not the Ghost of Halloween now, and not just because it's summer. He's Vlad's servant."

"Right." Sam took a sip of her cherry cola before continuing. "The pumpkin trick only works against _him_, when he's acting on his own. When he's acting on Vlad's behalf, it's a whole different ballgame. That's why the sword worked one way when Danny stuck it in the floor that one Halloween, and a different way when the Fright Knight plunged it into the ground at Casper High when the Ghost King came back. "

She flipped a few more pages and, over her shoulder, Danny could see a picture of a sword at the top of the page where she stopped. "The Soul Shredder has two basic powers. The first is to teleport anyone it cuts through into a dimension where they live out their worst fear."

Tucker shuddered. "Don't remind me."

"The second power can have some slight variations, depending on in whose name the Fright Knight is wielding it. But basically, he can claim a realm in the name of his ruler by plunging the sword into the ground, which creates a special kind of ecto-storm that cuts that realm off from everything else."

"Like when he put that dome over Amity Park in the name of the Ghost King," Valerie said.

"Uh-huh. And he seals it and sets the terms of the capture by adding an incantation afterward"

"Yeah, he did that when he took Amity Park." Danny folded his hands together and rested his chin on them as he tried to remember what the Fright Knight had said after putting his sword into the ground. "Something, something, '_The Sword removed shall signal fast / Make re-appear the Ring thou hast / Or your next day will be your last_.' That was specific to the situation, when they wanted the Ring of Rage back."

Sam nodded. "But if no claim is made or terms set, like if, say, someone does something stupid, like stealing the sword and sticking it in the floor..." She gave Danny a pointed look.

He rolled his eyes, but with a sheepish cringe. "Yeah, yeah, my bad. Moving on."

"Without the claim and the incantation, it's just an ecto-storm. Which is bad enough, because it does stuff like turning inanimate objects into monsters and all sorts of mayhem, and if left alone long enough, it'll eventually suck up the entire world."

"But that can all be stopped by sheathing the sword in a pumpkin."

"If the Fright Knight is acting on his own and not in service to anyone, yes. Technically, sheathing the sword in a pumpkin stops the Spirit of Halloween." Sam pointed to a paragraph in her book. "The only way to reverse any of the effects of the Soul Shredder is to defeat the one in whose name it was used. So, if the Fright Knight were acting on his own, the pumpkin would defeat him, which in turn reverses anything done with the sword, like making an ecto-storm or sending someone to live out their fears."

Tucker swallowed an overly large bite of his burger. "But if the Fright Knight is acting on behalf of someone else, then we have to defeat _that_ person to reverse what the sword's done. That's why Amity Park reverted back to normal when Danny defeated the Ghost King. Because all of that was done in his name."

"Right."

"So if the Fright Knight does anything with that sword, Vlad's the one we have to defeat to reverse it," Danny said.

"Except we still don't know how to defeat Vlad," Danielle finished for him.

Jazz leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Not yet, but we made some progress today. Mom found a link between the skeleton warriors and Vlad's ectoranium powers." She looked at Danielle. "Or more correctly, Danielle found a link." She then went on to explain how being near the bone fragments from the skeleton ghosts amped up the anti-ghost effect of the ectoranium both in Danielle's system and in the residue from Vlad's original attack on Clockwork's Tower.

Danny watched as Valerie's face echoed his own mixture of concern for Dani and hope that they'd finally found a chink in Vlad's armor. "So the skeleton warriors are what's keeping him juiced up?"

Jazz shrugged. "Mom's not sure if it's the skeletons themselves, or if there's some other source that both Vlad and the skeletons are regularly exposed to. We need to capture a whole skeleton to run some tests to figure out which it is. But hopefully we'll have an answer soon, and that will help us figure out how to cut Vlad's powers off at the source."

Sam closed her book. "And in the meantime, we can use the whole incantation thing to delay him from taking over Amity Park. In the battle at City Hall, the Fright Knight almost got the sword into the ground a couple of times. If he does manage to do it and makes a claim for Vlad, we can stop it by removing the sword before he does an incantation and sets the terms."

"And if he does the incantation?" Danny asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Yeah, then we're screwed. Removing the sword won't have any effect at all, unless he gives it a meaning in the incantation, like he did with the Ghost King, where removing the sword signaled surrender and sucked us into the Ghost Zone."

"So, get the sword out before the incantation. Got it." Danny looked around the table. "If we can keep Vlad from taking control of the Far Frozen, too, then we can hold our ground until we figure out how to defeat him."

"How are their defenses looking?" Tucker asked.

"Pretty good." Danny went on to explain everything they'd learned about the Far Frozen's defenses. "And even if Vlad did somehow manage to get into the realm itself, he'd have a really hard time gaining a foothold there because of the terrain and because of the ice powers the people of the Far Frozen have."

Jazz frowned. "Couldn't Vlad just melt the ice?"

"The entire Far Frozen? It'd be like trying to melt the polar ice caps with a campfire."

Sam, ever the environmentalist, gave him a tart look. "The polar ice caps _are_ melting."

"Maybe, but the Ghost Zone isn't exactly subject to Global Warming. It's always, like, five below zero, never changes. Besides, there's this whole thing between the Far Frozen and the snow creatures who live there. Frostbite called it a 'symbiotic relationship.' The realm feeds the powers of its people, and their powers in turn feed the realm."

"So, the Far Frozen is safe?" Valerie asked.

Danny shook his head. "I don't think we can assume anything is safe from Vlad. He's probably been working on a way to get into the Far Frozen since he came back. Some kind of ice-melting weapon, maybe? We need to think like him and figure out any possible way there might be to get past their defenses so we can beef them up accordingly. That's what Frostbite's people have been working on, and what Sam, Dani, and I are going to be helping with.

"But for now, things are looking pretty secure. To be honest, with Aragon thrown into the mix, Amity Park is a lot more vulnerable than the Far Frozen. Hopefully, my dad can come up with some ways to counter his tech-killing powers or to take him down altogether. Or that you guys can figure out a way to adapt what we've learned about Valerie's gear for everyone else to use."

Jazz looked over at Tucker and Valerie. "What did you guys learn? Do you know why Valerie's suit didn't lose power when everything else did?"

Tucker gave Valerie a questioning look. She responded with a resigned nod of consent so, pulling out his PDA for reference, he proceeded to explain to the others what he'd told Danny earlier about Valerie's connection to her suit being her own sort of ghost power. "But I don't think there's any way for us to tap into that," he finished, "short of Technus blasting us with his techno-gamma rays or whatever it was he did to her."

"That's a big, fat 'no way,'" Danny said.

Tucker raised an eyebrow. "Said the guy who turned on a Ghost Portal from the inside _three times_."

"Yeah, but the first time was an accident, the second time we were just trying to fix what Sam messed up with her wish—" He gave her the same pointed look she'd thrown at him earlier. "And the third time we all agreed was just plain stupidity. That thing could have killed me any of those times." Danny regarded Valerie for a moment. "And Technus could have killed you, too. You know that, right?"

She flashed him a dark look, then dodged the question. "It's not really repeatable. Technus said the only reason it worked that time is because he used the pieces of my original suit, which I had a sort of bond to. He can't just attach any weapon to any human."

Sam gave Tucker a dry grin. "Well, he could probably turn you into PDA Boy. You're practically married to your gear."

"And I like our relationship just fine the way is. Isn't that right, baby?" He gave the handheld an affectionate pat. Then, he put the device down, his face turning serious once more. "We did figure out a couple of useful things, though. For one thing, it's pretty likely that Technus would be immune to whatever Aragon's doing to the tech, since he's the reason Valerie's immune. So he'd be good to have in a fight against Aragon here. He might not be able to make it so we could use weapons, but he certainly could."

Danny nodded. "Good point."

"He also mentioned that he has this Lightning Rod staff that converts his energy into electricity."

"Yeah. I think that's the thing Skulker stole from him to use with Dad's Ecto-Converter to power the Ecto-Skeleton he also stole." Danny glanced at his sister. "Remember?"

"Too well."

Tucker absently toyed with his PDA on the table. "He talked a bit more about it after you guys left for the Far Frozen, and he thinks that it, too, would probably be immune to Aragon's anti-tech fog, and that it could be used to keep a piece of tech up and running even if the lights go out. But he's only got the one, so we can only use it on one thing."

Danny's mind whirled with the possibilities. "Then we could hook it into one of the shield generators, or one of the weapons, or the Fenton RV—"

"Not so fast, General." Tucker held up his hand to stop him. "As mayor, I'm pulling rank. Already made an executive decision. The police took Technus over to Amity Hospital and hooked it into their backup generator. That's the hospital with the town trauma center, the biggest ICU, the only neo-natal and peds ICUs. And they're right in the middle of town not far from City Hall and other important government buildings. We're lucky the last time Aragon attacked City Hall, that fog didn't get as far as the hospital, but that's the place that needs a power backup the most."

Danny nodded again, feeling a little chagrined. "You're right, Tuck. Good call."

Valerie smiled. "And there's one more thing we're going to try. After we finished at Axion Labs, Tucker and I went over to FentonWorks and got a demo of the freeze attachment Mr. Fenton has been working on for the ecto-weapons."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Is it working?"

"He's got some prototypes ready, yeah." Valerie smiled. "So I talked him into installing one of them on my ecto-rifle."

Jazz gasped, and Danny's jaw dropped... along with his stomach. "You _what_?" He shot an accusing glare at Tucker. "You let him put one of his prototypes on gear that's _bonded_ to her? You do know this is one of _my dad's inventions_ we're talking about, right?"

Tucker shrugged, sheepish. "I tried telling her, dude. I did. But you know how she is when she sets her mind to something. She just gave your dad those big, puppy dog eyes, and that was all she wrote."

"Oh, please." Valerie waved her hand, impatient. "You two are a couple of mother hens. I could tell as soon as he hooked it up that it wasn't gonna blow up or anything. I could feel it integrate with the ecto-rifle."

Jazz look horrified. "I'm with Danny. I don't think I'd want anything my dad invents _integrating_ with me. Only one out of every ten things he comes up with actually works, and most of the ones that do go through several failed prototypes first. We're talking diet cola in the ecto filtrator and mutated killer sausages here!"

"I'm telling you, it'll be fine. And if it works like Tucker and my dad think it will, the next time Aragon turns the lights out, I'll still have weapons that I can use against Vlad."

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but before he got out any words, he felt a chill deep inside him, and a fine mist escaped his lips. "Speaking of..." He slid out of the booth, pulling a Fenton Phone out of his pocket and slipping it on over his left ear as he rose to his feet. "Unless that's Skulker or one of the other friendlies, it looks like we're gonna find out pretty quick how well my dad's weapons work with your gear. "

"Uh, Danny?" Danielle was gripping the table, her face a little green as she looked up at him. "I don't think it's friendlies."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Danny's dinner became a rock in his stomach as he looked down at Danielle. "The skeleton warriors?"

She nodded. "I think so. I feel just like I did in the lab. Only, they're not right in front of me, so if I feel this bad..."

"We're probably looking at a lot of them." He grimaced. "We need to get you away from here."

The fact that she didn't protest only served to heighten his worry—she must have been feeling even sicker than she looked if she was willing to sit out on a fight against Vlad's minions.

Jazz was already digging into her purse for her car keys. "I'll take her home. And I'll call Mom and Dad and rally the troops. They—"

A shrieking wail reverberated across the restaurant, so loud it rattled the trays and cups on the tables as everyone reflexively covered their ears with their hands.

The Ghost Alert.

All around them, people jumped up out of their seats, some hurrying to the windows to see if they could find the source of the alarm, while others made panicky flights toward the exits. Danny bit back a groan—not that it would have been heard over the din anyway. With the exits clogged, it was going to be hard for them to get out, and there were too many people around to see if he tried to phase them all through the wall.

Fortunately, Valerie had another plan. She jerked her head toward the counter, and Danny realized she was suggesting they go through the kitchen exit out back. Nodding, he followed, the others behind him, with Jazz helping a slumping Danielle. No one protested or even seemed to notice when Valerie led five non-employees past the counter and through the kitchen toward the rear exit, and soon they were out in the alley behind the Nasty Burger.

When the door shut behind them, Tucker and Sam began digging into their backpacks for gear, while Valerie suited up and Danny went ghost. Together, the two of them took off to get a view of the situation from above.

The sun was low in the sky, nearly blinding Danny as he cleared the roof of the Nasty Burger, but he turned eastward toward the park, putting the sun at his back. When he looked down to survey the scene below him, the rock in his stomach turned into a small boulder.

A low whistle sounded in his Fenton Phones, barely audible over the wailing Ghost Alert, as Valerie came to hover beside him. "_Whoa_. That's... I've never seen so many skeleton warriors! It's, like, an _invasion!_"

Danny swallowed. "Yeah."

They were everywhere, swarming out of the park in every direction imaginable, dozens upon dozens of skeleton warriors, shouting battle cries as they chased frightened humans down the street, upending trashcans and smashing car windows as they went. Car alarms went off all up and down the block, adding to the cacophony.

Sam's voice came through his earpiece as she shouted to be heard over the Ghost Alert. "How bad is it?"

"I haven't seen this many skeleton warriors since I went after Pariah Dark at his castle. We're talking _thousands_!"

"Well, at least that answers one question!" Tucker's voice was a shout as well. "Looks like Vlad isn't waiting to finish with the Ghost Zone before trying to take Amity Park. We'd better get down to City Hall!"

Danny frowned as he watched the flow of glowing, green creatures below. "Hold on, Tuck! I don't think they're headed for City Hall. I mean, some of them might be. There are groups of them scattering in all directions. But the main mass is skirting the edge of the park and heading southeast down Balistreri Boulevard!"

"Southeast?" That was Sam. "They're _leaving_ downtown? To go _where_? The high school? The lakefront?"

Valerie gave a snort of contempt. "Who cares? Let's just kick some bony ghost butt!"

Danny sighed. "Val—I mean, Hunter, wait! We can't just go off half-cocked. There are too many! We need a strategy!"

"Should we split up?" Tucker asked. "You and Hunter can take the main group, and Sam and I can head north—"

"Tuck, I know you're the mayor, but City Hall has a ghost shield, and there are too many of them and not enough of us to go splitting up! Let the cops handle the splinter groups—they're probably just a distraction. We need to focus on the main group. Hunter and I can get in front of them, slow their progress a little, then you guys get behind them, try to box them in until the cavalry arrives!"

"What about us?" Jazz's voice crackled through the earpiece. He could see her below, still huddled against the back door of the Nasty Burger supporting Danielle. "I think we can get to my car, but is there a clear route home?"

Danny scanned the streets. "Yeah. Use the west entrance. Hunter and I will clear a path for you, then go after the main group when you're away!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when Valerie dove down toward the street, strafing skeletons with the twin ecto-guns mounted underneath her sled and blasting at least half a dozen into fragments as she went. Danny followed in her wake, concentrating on west entrance to the Nasty Burger parking lot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jazz shove Danielle into the passenger seat of her red convertible, then jump into the driver's seat and take off, tires squealing as they headed northwest toward FentonWorks.

When they were clear, Danny motioned to Valerie, pointing south down the street just as the Ghost Alert finally shut off, allowing him to speak at a more normal volume. "Let's go see if we can slow down the main group before they get to wherever they're headed." Pulling the Fenton Phone's mic a little closer to his mouth, he added, "Sam and Tuck, you guys got the rear?"

"We're on it," Sam confirmed. "But where do you think they're going? What's out toward the lakefront that would interest Vlad's minions? We're too far south for them to be heading for the docks. And why haven't we seen any sign of the Fight Knight or Aragon? Someone's gotta be leading them."

_Good point_, Danny thought, but Valerie let out a noisy huff of air. "Blah blah blah. You guys can sit around and analyze Vlad if you want, but I'm gonna go bag me some skeleton warriors!" Matching action to words, she rocketed away, firing at ghosts with both her sled-mounted ecto-guns and a bazooka that had materialized over her right shoulder as she headed southeast away from downtown.

Danny bit back another sigh as he dove after her. She was a fantastic fighter, maybe even better than he was, but she often would be so intent on the battle right in front of her that she wasn't seeing it as part of the whole war.

_She's gonna shoot first and ask questions never_, Tucker had once said about her, and it was as fitting a description now as it was then. She didn't seem to get that if they didn't ask the questions and find the answers, the best they could hope for was to hold the line against Vlad. What they needed was to _stop_ him. For good.

He flew past Valerie, angling to get ahead of the line of skeletons, both to keep them from causing too much random destruction as they marched down the street and to try to get a read on where they might be headed. When he'd caught his breath enough in between blasting them with his ghost ray, he slowed up to let Valerie catch up with him again. "The Bone Brigade are drones, you know. They have to be given a specific goal or they can't function. Don't you think figuring out what Vlad actually wants would be a big help?"

"He wants to take over the world. Duh!"

"And it might be nice to know _how_ he plans on doing it." Danny bowled over two more skeletons with a single burst of ectoplasm. He and Valerie were over Casper High now, but the advancing column of ghosts barely glanced in that direction, and Danny looked further down the street.

"Whatever they want, it isn't at the school. What else is southeast of downtown? Some businesses, shopping centers, residential areas..." He gasped when he saw the large, sprawling complex that took up nine square city blocks right where the retail establishments gave way to the more open residential area near the southern tip of Lake Michigan. "The _mall_. I think they're heading for the mall!"

Valerie looked up after polishing off three more skeletons. "The mall? What, they wanna pick up some shoes to match their gladiator skirts and viking helmets?"

"Or they want to have an enclosed space with a lot of people. What else is on Balistreri that could possibly get Vlad to send out so many of his minions?" He cupped the Fenton Phone in his ear. "Hey, Jazz. You still in range?"

"I'm here, Danny."

"Tell Mom and Dad and anyone else who's coming to head to the mall. Tucker?"

There was a moment's pause before Tucker's voice came over the ear piece. "Yeah, dude, I'm here. Sam and I are picking off the rear flank of the group headed your way. Most of the rest of them have cleared out from this area."

"Forget the rear flank for now. Call APPD and mall security. Use your mayoral authority or whatever to get them to start evacuating the building. But not through the northwest or northeast entrances, if they can avoid it. That's where the skeletons will be coming from. Get them out the southeast end of the mall, toward Alcala or Lakeview if at all possible."

"Got it."

"And how fast can you and Sam get there?"

"We're on my scooter—Val and I came here on it. But it'll be tough getting through all those skeletons between here and there."

"Not if we take a different route," Sam suggested. "They sticking mostly to Balistreri, Danny?"

"Yeah. You can get around them on Ventress or Alcala."

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

He refocused his attention back on the battle, joining Valerie in making sweeping runs at the line of skeletal ghosts advancing eastward. With every blast of his plasma ray or her bazooka, they took out several ghosts, but the numbers were so overwhelming that the effect was negligible. He tried switching to ice, but still wasn't able to take out enough to slow them down significantly.

Frustrated, he flew a little higher to catch his breath. "It's like trying to stop a swarm of locusts with a flyswatter. What I wouldn't give for my dad's Ecto-skeleton right about now."

"At least we bought enough time for reinforcements to arrive." Valerie pointed down toward the Balistreri Boulevard entrance to Amity Park Mall, which was less than a block away now. There were already several police cars in the parking lot, red and blue lights flashing, and he could see his parents' RV pulling in from Alcala Avenue on the opposite end.

The Fenton Phone in his ear crackled. "Danny? Tucker. How close are they to the mall?"

"Less than a block, but we've got backup. The Fenton RV just pulled into the parking lot, and there are about half a dozen cop cars, with a few more headed this way. Any word on the evacuation?"

"Already started, but it'll take at least fifteen or twenty minutes to get several thousand people out. Maybe more, if they have to herd everyone to the southeast end. Can we hold them off long enough to get everyone clear?"

"We'll do our best. You and Sam almost here?"

"Be there in less than five."

As the leading edge of the skeleton warriors reached the northern border of the mall property, Danny and Valerie descended back into the fray, this time joined by several of Amity Park's finest, and soon after by Danny's, Sam's and Valerie's parents, with Tucker's parents taking up their usual posts in the RV monitoring tracking equipment and communications. With more people on their side, they had an easier time of holding the line against the massive onslaught of ghosts.

When Tucker and Sam arrived, they were still concentrating on the northern section of the parking lot, although dozens of skeletons had gotten around them and were attacking portable ghost shield generators that had been hastily erected in a rough arc around the northern and western edges of the building.

Danny swooped down and landed beside Sam to help her out as she fired a Fenton Wrist Ray, her favorite ecto-weapon, at a pack of skeleton ghosts that were trying to box her in. "Anyone ever tell you? Girls with Wrist Rays are hot."

"Teenage boy likes girls with weapons. There's a shocker." She blew another two ghosts into glowing green bone fragments. "Well, at least we know for sure that whatever they want is at the mall and not further down toward the lakefront, otherwise they wouldn't even be bothering with those shields. They'd just go around the mall altogether."

"But why the mall? And who's leading them? I still haven't seen any sign of Aragon or the Fright Knight—"

Another burst of static in their earpieces interrupted him, followed by Mr. Foley's voice. "Heads up, people! A group just got around the shields at the Ventress Street entrance and are inside. Repeat: we've got hostiles inside the mall!"

Danny clicked on his talkback. "Did the cops get everyone out?"

Mrs. Foley answered this time. "They've cleared out the northwest end. They're still trying to get people out through the Alcala and Lakeview exits. APPD estimates another five minutes."

Danny grimaced at Sam. "Time to move the fight indoors, see if we can keep them contained on the northwest side. Need a lift?"

"It'd be faster than fighting my way through the parking lot and having to use the doors, yeah."

Grabbing her hand, he transferred some of his power to her so that he could easily fly her above the skeletons they'd been fighting and phase them both through the wall and into the shopping center. Once inside, he set her down on the lower level floor just outside the Abyss clothing store and took a quick look around. "All clear here."

"Skeletons at nine o'clock," Sam said, turning to her left and taking aim as a dozen or so of them ran by.

"Sam, wait!" Danny put his hand on her arm, pulling her off target as he turned them both invisible. "Let's follow them and see if they're here for something more than just harassing shoppers."

He sensed her nod. Although she didn't register in the visual spectrum, Danny's ghost powers allowed him to "see" invisible shapes and movement in a way humans could not. Even more so when he was the source of the invisibility.

Lifting the two of them off the ground once more, he floated silently behind the emaciated green ghosts. Unlike on the street, where they engaged in acts of vandalism and generally created havoc as they went, here they went straight down the empty corridor until they came to the center junction of the mall, where they stopped outside Derringher's Jewelers, a large storefront on the corner of the northwest and southwest wings. There, they formed a semi-circle outside the doorway, then stood at attention, their various clubs, axes, and other weapons at their side.

Puzzled, Danny floated above them a moment, pulling Sam a little closer to him so he could whisper in her ear. "A jewelry store? What's Vlad trying to do, rebuild his fortune?"

"I don't think so," Sam whispered back as more skeletons arrived and took up similar positions around the entrance to the store. "If they were just trying to steal stuff to fence, why not just go in and start tearing the place up? Why the guard detail?"

"You think there's something specific they want? A special diamond or something? They could be waiting for one of the higher-ups, like the Fright Knight, to come and get it."

"It's possible." There was a note of hedging to her voice. "There are gemstones that have all sorts of special properties. Some mystical, some ceremonial, and some even scientific. A specific cut of a specific kind of gem could be just what he needs to power some kind of weapon."

Danny raised his eyebrows and turned to Sam, even though she couldn't see him. "A weapon? Like, something that could help him take the Far Frozen?"

He could feel her shrug. "Maybe. Or something he could use on the Human World."

"Where's the 'but'? You don't sound convinced."

"It's just... Derringher's is a chain store. They sell generic engagement rings, tennis bracelets, earrings—the kind of stuff you see in those annoying commercials around Christmas and Valentine's Day. You know, 'Buy this for your wife, or you'll be moving in with Fido.' I can't imagine that a mall store would have any unique or special gems that would have the kinds of qualities Vlad could use in a weapon, or for any kind of mystical purposes. There are specialty shops uptown or in Eidolon Hill that would be much more suited for that kind of thing."

"But they came straight here."

"Yeah."

"So... do we take them out?" Danny now counted at least fifty skeletons as more kept arriving to take up positions alongside their brethren. "Or do we wait for whoever's leading them to show to see if we can figure out exactly what they're after?"

Before Sam could offer an opinion, they heard what sounded like a burst of ectoplasm in the direction they'd come from. He could sense Sam turn to look over her shoulder. "Sounds like the rest of the party's moved indoors."

"That answers that question." Tightening his grip on Sam's arm, he flew them back in the direction they'd come, turning them both visible again as they landed in the hallway near the outer edge of a skirmish taking shape at the Ventress Street entrance.

Danny could see both his parents by the makeup counter of Sophia's Department Store, his dad spraying everything in sight with the Ecto Foamer while his mother used a Fenton Thermos to sweep up whole skeletons and fragments alike. The Mansons and Mr. Gray were in front of the Pottery Shed, each armed with Fenton Phasers or Blasters, while Tucker and several police officers were near the main entrance, shooting at skeletons as they phased in through the doors or walls. Valerie circled above it all, laying down cover fire with her sled-mounted ecto guns. Danny flew up to join her, while Sam ducked into the doorway of the Super Sound music store to fire at any ghosts that tried to get further into the mall.

"They're trying to get to Derringher's," Danny said into his Fenton Phones as he used his ice powers to freeze three skeletons that were advancing on his parents. "You know, that jewelry store right near the center court? Sam and I saw a whole bunch of them setting up some sort of perimeter around the place, like they're guarding it until—"

The lights snapped off, submerging them in near-darkness, the glow from the skeleton ghosts and the fading sunlight from the skylight above providing the only illumination. The whine of ecto-weapons powering down filled the hallway as well and, in the relative silence, the sharp click of bones on tile echoed through the corridor as the skeletons clambered past the humans and headed deeper into the mall. Even Danny's Fenton Phone had stopped working although, without the noise of the weapons to drown him out, everyone could hear him as he finished his sentence. "—a real ghost shows up." He looked up through the skylight, noting the greenish clouds roll by outside, obscuring the orange sunset. "Like, say, Aragon."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

_**Amity Park Mall**_

A flash of green coming from the direction of Sophia's caught Danny's attention, and he could hear his mother's groan of dismay reverberate around the hallways in the relative silence. "Oh, great! Without any power, the Fenton Thermos just released everything it was holding. There were dozens of whole skeletons in there! Now we'll have to start all over!"

"Uh, Maddie?" Danny didn't even stumble on using his mom's name for the benefit of the police officers present. "I think we've got bigger problems."

With their weapons no longer working, the humans on the first floor were cornered in clusters, and the skeletons began advancing on them. Danny and Valerie blasted at the ghosts from above, trying to clear a pathway to the mall entrance so they could escape.

"Sure wish we'd had communication with the Ghost Zone up and running. Would've been nice if we could've called Dora to help us." Danny eyed Valerie, noting how her suit and gear were working perfectly. "And maybe Technus. I'm pretty sure he could operate tech no matter what Aragon did."

"I've got an idea." His dad, only a few feet below them, reached into a pocket on his jumpsuit and pulled out something gold and green—the Amulet of Aragon Dora had left with him after their meeting a few nights ago. "Hey, Hunter Girl! Heads up!" he shouted, tossing it in Valerie's direction.

She caught it in her right hand. "What's this for?"

"See if you can hook it to your gear, like we did the Fenton Freeze attachment on your ecto rifle. Maybe this baby'll let you burn off that dragon fog outside."

Through her faceplate, Danny could see her frown. "Hook it in how? It's not tech. It's a necklace."

His dad shrugged. "Wrap it around the front end of your sled?"

"Just don't put it around your neck," Danny warned. The last thing they needed was for someone as hot-tempered as Valerie to be wearing a magical talisman that was triggered by anger or emotional duress. She nodded, bending over to wrap the amulet's chain around the left front talon of her sled instead. Straightening, she took an experimental shot, wiping aside two skeletons for good measure.

"Nothing. I can't feel it like I can the freeze attachment."

Jack shrugged again. "Well, it was worth a shot."

"Let's just get you guys out of here before Aragon joins the fight and Hunter and I have our hands too full to keep the Bone Brigade off your backs."

"Don't worry about us." Tucker looked up at him and Valerie. "We can fight these guys ourselves while you two take on Aragon."

Danny wondered if his friend was so traumatized by the loss of his beloved technology that he'd managed to repress that little detail. "With no tech? How?"

"Same way I fought off Aragon's goons in the Ghost Zone." Tucker jerked his head to his right to a sporting goods store across the hall from the Abyss. "I'll bet there's some archery gear or even a few baseball bats in there that'd be good for breaking a few bones." Shoving his useless blaster into one of the pockets of his cargo pants, he started toward the store.

Danny gave him an approving smile. "Good idea, Tuck."

The others followed his lead, holstering ecto-weapons as they headed towards the sporting goods store for blunt-force arms. Danny's mom, however, was still scowling, looking almost like a teenager who'd just had her car keys taken away. "It might help us beat them back, but it won't help us trap any of them for research."

"Beating them back will have to do for now. Let's see if we can clear a path for you guys."

He and Valerie rose back up toward the skylight and resumed firing at the skeletons surrounding them. Before they could make much of a dent, however, a great, black dragon phased in through the roof above them. "So, this is the marketplace of the modern world." He sniffed in disdain. "Cold and sterile, just like all of your technological 'advances.'"

Danny's eyes flicked to humans on the ground. If he could distract Aragon, maybe Valerie could keep the skeletons off their backs long enough for everyone to get to the sporting goods store and arm themselves. Catching Valerie's eye, he gave a slight jerk of his head toward the melee below before turning his attention to the dragon above. "As opposed to how warm and cheery your kingdom was when you were still Crown Prince? You know, before you got your butt kicked by a couple of _girls_?"

Blue smoke curled out of Aragon's nostrils. "I have had enough of your insolence, Ghost Child. Prepare to—"

A blast of ice to his muzzle froze it shut, ending the soliloquy. Danny rolled his eyes. "What, are you trying to beat Technus's record for monologuing? Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'less is more'?" He flew at Aragon, aiming for the amulet around the dragon's neck. He could see that this one was hung from a long chain, rather than the short choker that Valerie had on her sled. From the quick tutorial Dora had given before handing off her Lesser Amulet to his father, Danny recognized that the Aragon was wearing one of the Sovereign Amulets.

Before he could get close, however, the dragon dodged out of the way, turning so quickly that he almost lashed Danny across the shoulder with his tail spikes. Danny managed to go intangible just in time, and the spikes passed harmlessly through him.

As Aragon came around a full three hundred and sixty degrees, Danny could see the ice on his snout glowing bright blue. A moment later, it melted completely away, and the dragon let loose with a blast of blue fire.

This time, Danny was only partially prepared. He got up an ecto-shield to keep himself from getting burned, but he wasn't in position to push back against the force of the flames, and they knocked him backwards into the window of a gift shop on the second floor. The impact stunned him a moment, and then Aragon was bearing down on him.

Going intangible once more, Danny phased backwards through the window and into the store. Aragon followed, not bothering to go intangible first but, rather, crashing right through the window. Shards of glass flew everywhere, along with cards and trinkets, as the huge, black dragon plowed into the store.

Danny managed to get himself above the chaos and fire down twin bursts of ectoplasm from both hands. It glanced off Aragon's tough, scaly hide, but drew his attention upward. When he caught sight of Danny, he opened his mouth to let loose with more flame, but Danny countered with more ice, once again freezing the dragon's muzzle closed.

Not waiting for the ice to melt, Danny bolted from the gift shop and flew out over the second-level railing to look down into the hallway below to check on the others. Valerie was keeping a large group of skeleton warriors busy near Sophia's, while the other humans, including the cops who were with them, were coming out of the sporting goods store armed with everything from baseball bats to golf clubs to camping axes. Mr. Gray and the Mansons, arguably the best shots of the group, had each managed to procure wicked-looking crossbows and were helping Valerie provide cover, allowing the others a chance to get in close with their blunt-force instruments and shatter skeletons into fragments.

Behind him, Danny heard Aragon emerge from the card shop. He dodged in time to avoid another volley of blue flame, which set a wooden bench across the atrium ablaze. Quickly coating the bench with ice, Danny doused the flame, but not before Aragon managed to set fire to a planter and a cell phone kiosk. As he worked on those fires as well, he called out over his shoulder, "Hunter! A little help here!"

Looking up from having just blown three skeletons into dust with her arm-mounted gun, Valerie kicked down on her sled's accelerator and rocketed upward toward Aragon, distracting him with a blast of pink ectoplasm long enough for Danny to put out all three fires. When he turned around, Valerie's arm-mounted gun was gone, and she was aiming her ecto-rifle at Aragon just as he was about to let loose with more fire. Instead of ectoplasm, however, the rifle shot out a blue ray that not only blocked Aragon's flames, but froze his muzzle a third time.

Valerie crowed in victory. "Sweet! The freeze attachment works just fine, even with the power out."

"Great, but it doesn't keep him down—heads up!" Danny warned as Aragon melted his frozen jaw once more. He lunged for Valerie, but Danny peppered him with his ghost ray to draw his attention. "Hey, scaly! What's the deal with all the skele-drones and the jewelry store? Have you finally found love again after your last engagement didn't work out? You do know you're supposed to spend two month's salary, right? Of course, after the whole losing-your-kingdom thing, and with what Vlad's probably _not_ paying you to be his lackey, you might not find anything in your price range at Derringher's. I hear the Sayonara Pussycat store over by the Food Court has a nice selection of rings, though. If you're lucky, you might even find something that doesn't turn her finger green. If she isn't already green, I mean."

Aragon whipped at Valerie with his tail while turning to Danny for a frontal attack. "I am no one's lackey!"

Managing to duck under the tail, Valerie came around from the other side. "He's right, Danny. He's more like Vlad's pet dragon. That's why he's here to play fetch."

With a roar, he turned on her, only to have his flame repelled with another blast from the ice attachment on her rifle. He recoiled fast enough to avoid getting hit in the face again, and was rearing back for another attack when he stopped, his red, dragon eyes widening as they fell on Valerie's sled. "An Amulet of Aragon! That belongs to me!" And he swiped at the front end of her sled with his claws.

Danny's heart fell as he realized how bad it would be for them to lose one of Dora's two amulets to her brother, but Valerie had good reflexes and was able to dodge Aragon's attack in time. Danny breathed a sigh of relief, then called out to her. "Don't let him get the amulet!"

"Gee, thanks for the tip, Phantom." She blew past him, angling down toward the first level while Danny ran interference in the form of an ecto-shield. He was only able to hold Aragon off for a few seconds, however, before the flame pushed hard enough against his shield to send him flying backwards into a lingerie shop to land in a heap amidst a toppled rack of lacy nighties so sheer, he would have blushed if a roar from the first level hadn't pushed any non-battle-related thoughts completely from his head.

Turning intangible, he phased through the floor of the lingerie shop and into the sporting goods store below, then rocketed out into the mall.

When he emerged, he gasped to find Aragon pinning Valerie down to the floor with his massive, clawed left forefoot while he held up her sled in his right. "Where is it, girl? _Where's my amulet?_"

"Have you tried Lost and Found? It's over at the Information Booth in the Center Court." Valerie's voice had her usual sassy edge, but she sounded a little winded.

Danny put his hands up, preparing to blast the dragon with his ghost ray, but before he could even build up enough energy, something whistled past his left ear.

"Get the hell away from my baby girl!"

Mr. Gray was standing on a low wall that ringed a fountain in the middle of the corridor, holding a crossbow from the sporting goods store. Danny looked from him back to Aragon, and that's when he saw the arrow in the dragon's right flank near his hind leg.

Pulling another arrow out of a quiver on his back, Mr. Gray loaded it into his crossbow, took aim, and shot again.

Roaring in rage more than pain, Aragon dropped Valerie's sled and reached around to pull the arrows out of his side as if they were nothing more than thorns. "Do that again, and I'll crush the girl!"

"Think again, Scaly!" Danny blasted him with as much ectoplasm as he could force out of both hands. It hit Aragon in the side, knocking him off his hind legs and away from Valerie, who slid down the wall to the floor to land more or less in a crouch. Her captor, meanwhile, ended up inside the Pottery Shed, smashing into a summer picnic display at the front of the store.

As Valerie recalled her sled to her, her dad called out, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, _sir,_" she said through gritted teeth, a pointed reminder to her father that she was trying to keep her identity under wraps. Fortunately, most of the cops were too busy fighting off skeleton warriors to notice. Hopping on her sled, Valerie joined Danny at his side. "Thanks for the save."

"No problem. Where's the amulet?"

"Safe for now. Let's just get this done already." Without even looking over her shoulder, she jerked the butt of her ecto-rifle backwards to hit the jawbone of a skeleton warrior that had been coming up on her from behind.

Aragon picked himself up from the broken shards of china and glass and came at them again. _"Where is my amulet?"_

Danny stroked his chin, as if considering the question. "Boy, you're just all about the jewelry today, aren't you? Amulets, jewelry stores... Tell you what. You tell me what your boys want from Derringher's, and I'll tell you where the amulet is."

Aragon stopped in midair, turning quickly to lash out at them with the spiked end of his tail. "How about you tell me where the amulet is, and I let you and your friends live?"

Danny and Valerie ducked in opposite directions to avoid the tail, then came around to face him again, Danny peppering him with enough ectoplasm to get his attention. "Well, living was kinda already in our plan, so no deal there. But I've got all day, if you wanna just hang out here, exchanging verbal barbs. 'Cause I couldn't help but notice the skeletons weren't going in there on their own to get whatever it is you were sent to fetch for your master. It must be something pretty specific he wants, if they're supposed to wait for you to go and get it."

A sudden change in the sounds of fighting between the skeleton ghosts and humans, which he'd mostly filtered out to concentrate on Aragon, got his attention. All around him, skeletons had stopped fighting and were dropping to their knees and prostrating themselves on the floor, facing down the hall toward the center court. Danny frowned at Valerie. "What the—?"

A green glow came from that direction as a sort of thin, smoky, green vapor filled the hallway. As it began to coalesce near them, a bright green light flashed, temporarily blinding them. When Danny's vision cleared, the vapor was gone and, in its place, stood a tall, urbane man in an elegant, dark suit, with a white goatee on his chin and long, white hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"Wrong again, Daniel. They were waiting for _me_."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

_**Amity Park Mall**_

Vlad kept his expression schooled into the regal smile of a king greeting his subjects, but it was very difficult to refrain from laughing at the look of shock on Daniel's face. On _all_ of their faces. He took a moment to soak it in before addressing them again.

"Look at who has come to greet me on this, my triumphant return. Not only do I get a contingent from Amity Park's finest..." He nodded at the police officers scattered around the shopping center courtyard. "But all of my _very_ favorite people are here as well. Daniel, the son I never had." He let the barest hint of darkness to creep into his voice on the words _never had_, making it more accusation than affection before turning to Valerie. "My erstwhile protégée. You really did get some upgrades, didn't you? Your equipment can still function when all other technology fails?"

She didn't answer, and he continued cataloging his enemies. "Daniel's two little playmates, with their parents along. Isn't that adorable? And, of course, my old, _dear_ friend, Jack." Even the layers of saccharine couldn't hide the contempt in his voice. "And..."

_Maddie_. Fear stabbed his heart, freezing his tongue at the sight of the love of his life. She was staring back at him and, in her eyes—those magnificent, sapphire eyes—there was only ice and hostility where warmth and devotion should have been.

No. _Would_ have been, had it not been for _Jack_. Jack, who had stolen everything that mattered. His youth, his health, Maddie. Jack, who had left him to die, stranded in space. Jack, who even now had the gall to look at him with murder in his eyes, as if _he_ were the one who had been wronged. But Maddie... the hostility in her eyes was belied by the tight grip she had on Jack's arm, holding him back from whatever ill-conceived attack he was considering.

_She's protecting me!_

Not that he needed it, of course. But it was enough to melt the fear, and he was himself again. He allowed his smile to soften into one of genuine affection. "My own Francesca. Rodin himself couldn't have captured a more lovely image."

Daniel, the emotion directed toward his mother not lost on him even if the allusion was, stiffened a moment, then slipped with well-practiced ease into his standard battle-quip mode. "Wow, you're coming here personally instead of sending your lackeys. I'm impressed. To what do we owe this honor?" As he spoke, he shifted his position just enough so that he was shielding several of the humans, including his parents. Valerie, taking her cue from him, put herself between Vlad and another cluster of humans, only with even less subtlety.

His view of Maddie obstructed, Vlad turned his attention with some reluctance back to her son. "I came for what's mine." He resisted the urge to put his hand in his pocket to feel the comforting weight of the three gems he'd hand-selected, the rarest and most precious of the entire collection. Nor did he look over his shoulder to where several of his skeletal minions where transporting the rest of said collection from the jewelry store's storage vault to the safety of the Ghost Zone.

Instead, he shifted his gaze from Daniel to his feeble friend, the technophile-turned-politician who had succeeded him in office. "Since His Honor the Mayor is here, we can make this easy. Surrender control of Amity Park to me, and no one has to get hurt." His eyes flicked to Jack. "Well, _almost_ no one."

The boy politician snorted in a foolish show of bravado. "Uh... anyone ever explain the concept of democracy to you? It doesn't work that way. Amity Park isn't mine to give."

"You're talking to the guy who had to overshadow the voters to get elected." Daniel never took his eyes off Vlad, despite addressing his friend. "I think it's safe to say the concept of democracy is a little beyond him."

"Please. Your simple, teenage mind couldn't even begin to conceive all the intricacies and complexities of democracy—and how they can be exploited. But my days of playing politics are over. I much prefer the direct approach. And don't think I don't see you motioning for the others to escape while you think I'm distracted monologuing. I'd like everyone to stay." He gave a slight nod to his skeleton minions, who rose from their prostrate positions and moved between the humans and the exits.

"So, then. Now that no one is leaving the party, let's all take a long, hard look at the facts of life—or afterlife, as the case may be. We're in a mall full of police officers and ghost fighters who, sadly, cannot actually fight ghosts or even protect themselves without their technological weapons and defenses, which are offline, thanks to Prince Aragon's unique abilities. That leaves Daniel and, oddly, my former protégée as the only ones standing between me and the complete annihilation of Amity Park. Now, I'm not denying that the two of you, who have both benefited greatly from my tutelage, might be defense enough—if you were facing an ordinary ghost. But you're not facing an ordinary ghost, are you? You know full well what my ectoranium powers can do—to ghosts and humans. Don't you, Daniel?"

For just an instant, Vlad could see the memories of the things he had done—or _could have_ done—with his ectoranium powers playing behind the boy's eyes. Then, the cocky defiance was back. "Don't kid yourself, Vlad. Aragon's powers are limited to the immediate area. Outside this mall, the tech works just fine, including the anti-ectoranium ghost shields. You can't control the whole town, no matter what you do to us in here."

They were both bluffing. Daniel was right about the limitations of Aragon's powers, of course. Vlad couldn't take the entire town just by showing up. Not until all the pieces were in place. But the boy wasn't nearly as blasé about "us in here" as he pretended to be. If Vlad killed even one of his family or closest friends, it would undo him. Protecting them was his top priority, and toward that end, he was stalling. Trying to keep a fight from happening until he could think of a way to keep safe the ones he loved.

It was futile, of course. Vlad could just change into his anti-ghost form and attack any time he wanted. While the rudimentary and blunt-force weapons the humans were using had been effective against the skeleton drones, they were useless against Vlad and even Aragon, and Daniel and Valerie weren't enough to hold them off alone. Daniel's ice powers were only marginally effective against Vlad's ectoranium, and Valerie's were nearly useless.

But it was much more entertaining to goad Daniel into attacking first, thereby shattering his illusions that he was superior to Vlad in either virtue or control. In their early encounters, the affection directed at his mother, or the "simple teenaged mind" crack, or the implied threat to his family would have been enough to spur an attack, but clearly he'd gained some measure of self-control as he'd matured.

There was a time when Vlad might have been pleased at the boy's growth. But the time had long since passed when he entertained any hope that his would-be apprentice and heir to all that should rightly belong to beings of their shared origins and power could be anything more than a shadow of his potential. He was too much his father's son, and a waste of ectoplasm.

And increased self-control or no, he was a waste of ectoplasm that could still be goaded. "I can and will take back what's mine, Daniel. Make no mistake. And speaking of what's mine, how is my little science experiment coming along? Did the ectoranium make Daddy's little girl a chip off the old block, or did it melt her into ectoplasmic goo? Inquiring minds..."

That did it. With a fury that was almost feral, Danny attacked with his ice powers. "I'll melt _you_ into ectoplasmic goo!"

Valerie, her reflexes—and her anger—just as sharp as Daniel's, reacted a split second later, firing a blue beam from her ecto-rifle.

Before either one of them had more than twitched a muscle, however, Vlad reached down within himself, drawing on the ectoranium power in his core and letting it metamorphose him from human to anti-ghost, then radiate outward, turning cells and molecules to vapor, allowing him to dissipate and be everywhere and nowhere all at once. The ice blasts and whatever it was Valerie was firing from her weapon—also ice?—passed harmlessly through the empty air where he'd been microseconds before, only to be melted away by a wall of blue flame.

And Vlad let his laughter fill the mall.

* * *

As soon as Vlad uttered the words "Daddy's little girl," Sam knew it was all going to go to hell. Not that she could fault Danny for reacting. It was the first time they'd seen Vlad since rescuing Danielle, and now that Sam knew who she really was, what Vlad had _done—_and especially after overhearing Danielle's description of life with him before Danny came into the picture—Sam could have cheerfully disemboweled the son of a bitch with her bare hands, then fed him his still-beating heart.

Without even so much as a working Fenton Thermos, however, she was powerless to do anything at all.

Danny and Valerie, on the other hand, were not. They reacted almost in unison, but Vlad was in anti-ghost form before the ice even left Danny's fingertips or Valerie's rifle. Around Sam, everyone exploded into action, and she felt more than saw Aragon's fiery response to the ice attack as she pivoted on her boot heel, swinging out in a wide arc with the baseball bat she was still holding in her hands. It made contact with two skeleton warriors behind her, wood meeting bone in a sickening crunch. Cadaverous fingers gripped her right arm, and she brought her elbow back, hard, catching the drone in the ribs. The grip on her arm loosened, and she brought the bat around again, connecting with its skull and shattering its jaw.

Three down, she was looking for the next skeleton ghost to engage when the skin on her arms and the back of her neck prickled into goose bumps as the air behind her went frigid, and she found her back pressed against a wall of solid ice. She turned just in time to see green energy bounce off the other side of the ice as Danny and Valerie flew at the source—a gaseous-looking, human-shaped, green cloud—the two ghost fighters blasting in tandem with yet more ice.

Heat and blue flame followed, as Aragon swooped in from above, melting the ice shield Danny had so hastily erected to block Vlad's ectoranium. A sharp ping sounded on her right, followed by a hiss of triumph from her dad as an arrow pierced Aragon's side. The dragon roared, swiping at the arrow with his foreclaw as his spiked tail lashed backward.

"Dad!" Sam cried out in warning. Her father shouldered his crossbow and took off in the opposite direction, Aragon chasing after him, his work on the shield already finished as the melted ice splashed in puddles at Sam's feet.

_We are so screwed,_ she barely had time to think before two more skeletons advanced, and she was swinging at them with her bat once more.

When it was just Aragon and the drones, they'd fared pretty well, with Danny and Valerie double-teaming the dragon while the rest of the humans kept the skeletons at bay with their makeshift weapons. With Vlad in the mix, however... Danny and Valerie weren't enough to take him on even without having to worry about shielding a mall full of virtually weaponless people from his lethal ectoranium blasts or Aragon's dragon flame.

Her bat made contact with yet another drone, knocking it into a second one. Blue flame scorched the air above her, and she ducked low, kicking out with her boot at a skeleton that was coming at her. _ Gotta get rid of Aragon. Gotta get the power back on..._

"Hunter! Aragon!"

"On it!"

Pink ectoplasm lit up the air, and Aragon roared in rage. Sam, still on the floor, rolled to avoid a skeleton, then Tucker was there, cracking its spine with a camping ax.

"Everyone get down! And cover your ears!"

Sam realized what Danny was going to do an instant before the Wail started. Tucker dove down beside her, and the two of them clamped their hands over their ears as the low howl rose into a fevered crescendo, blasting skeleton warriors back into the storefronts, cracking windows, and hurtling both Vlad and Aragon down the hall toward the center court. When the cacophony died down and Sam and Tucker climbed to their feet, the mall looked like a small tornado had whipped through it.

About fifty yards from her, Danny was hunched over, his hands on his knees like a track runner who had just finished a long sprint. But he was still in ghost form—something he wouldn't have been able to maintain after a Ghostly Wail a year ago.

She and Tucker rushed to his side just as Valerie brought her sled in. "You okay, Phantom?"

He straightened, nodding, and Sam was relieved to see that he looked winded, but not completely spent. "Yeah. But it'll only buy us a little time."

"Can you still fight, dude?" Tucker asked.

He nodded. "But not with so many people at risk. We need to get everyone out of here, like, _yesterday_. Aragon and the skele-drones might be down for a while, but Vlad will be back any second, and Hunter and I can't fight him and protect everyone else at the same time."

"We need the power back on, is what we need." Sam shrugged off her backpack, then reached into it, her fingers curling around a smooth stone attached to a thick chain.

The Amulet of Aragon. Valerie had shoved it into her backpack just before Aragon had caught up with her and pinned her to the wall, trying to get it back. Kicking aside the backpack, Sam started to put the green and gold choker around her own neck.

"Sam!" Danny's eyes widened, and he grabbed her arm to stop her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Someone's gotta get rid of that fog."

"How will putting on that amulet help? Once you turn into a dragon, you won't be in control of yourself!"

"Maybe not, but it does kind of keep you going in the same direction as whatever it was you were mad about in the first place. I did go after Paulina the last time, right? And right now, I'm more than a little torqued at Aragon and that stupid time-stopping, tech-killing fog."

Danny shook his head. "And if you did manage to burn that off, what then? Who knows what you'd do or where you'd go?"

She smiled at him. "You'll come after me." On impulse, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek—the fallout from the Ghostly Wail had the police officers too busy to notice or care—then she ducked under his arm, twisting her own out of his grip as she finished clasping the amulet into place around her neck.

"Sam, no!"

It wasn't hard to focus her anger on Aragon and his fog. Not the tech-killing aspect, but the trapped-in-the-dark-ages, women-as-decorative-chattel aspect. _No more Dark Ages, you stupid. Misogynistic. Chauvinist. Dragon. PIG! _


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

_**Amity Park Mall**_

"Sam! No!" Danny lunged for her as she slipped from his grasp, but the Ghostly Wail had taken enough out of him to slow his reflexes, and she evaded him. He tried again, this time managing to grab onto her arm.

But it was already too late. Her eyes burned red, and her skin turned blue and almost... serpentine. Then, she was enveloped in a flash of bright, blue light, and the next thing Danny knew, he was ten feet in the air, clinging onto the front leg of an enormous, blue dragon with green horns and green scales down its back.

"_CHAUVINIST PIG!"_

"_SAMANTHA!" _

Danny winced, not sure which was worse—the dragon's tirade, or her mother's shrill, panicked screams from below. Letting go of its—hers—_Sam's_ foreleg, he flew at her neck, making one last-ditch effort to get the amulet off her, but she was too fast for him. Turning intangible, she flew upward and phased through the skylight of the mall, disappearing into the green gloom above.

Biting back the string of curses running through his head, he landed beside Valerie and Tucker once more as the Mansons ran up to them, Mrs. Manson still shrieking as she grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him. _"What happened to Sam? Why aren't you going after her? Bring her back!"_

His heart somewhere down around his knees, he gripped her arms to stop her from shaking him. "I will, I promise. But I can't until I stop—"

"_DANIEL!"_

His name—_No, that's not my name, I'm not who _he_ says I am_—more an angry roar than a word, filled the mall courtyard, along with a fine green mist. Gritting his teeth, Danny looked around, trying to take stock of the situation. The skeleton warriors were all down for the count, many of them in pieces, but there were still too many defenseless humans. Police officers, his family, his friends...

The green mist began to coalesce beside him. With an abrupt shove, he pushed Mrs. Manson away in the opposite direction, then motioned to the rest of them. "Everyone get back!" He eyed Tucker, who looked uncertain. "Go, Tuck! You can't do anything right now!"

His friend nodded, then followed after Mrs. Manson. As soon as all the humans except Valerie were on one side of him—away from where the mist was becoming more and more solid—he laid down a coating of ice between them and him.

And then, Vlad was standing before him, his red eyes glowing through the cloudy green matter that made up his weird anti-ghost form. "Did you really think your ridiculous 'Ghostly Wail' could stop me?"

"No, but _this_ can!" Valerie fired with the freeze attachment on her ecto-rifle, coating Vlad with ice. It glowed green, then exploded, sending shards of ice in all directions.

Danny and Valerie both took aim, sending dual blasts of ice at Vlad. He raised one arm in response, radiating out green ectoranium. It met the ice, blocking it, and pushing both Danny and Valerie backwards, forcing the two of them to push harder to hold their ground. With his other hand, Vlad aimed at the ice shield Danny had formed between them and the others. "Your ice powers aren't enough to stop me, either! I have access to power you can't even dream of!"

Vlad laughed, then. Not his usual haughty, superior laugh, but something almost like a high-pitched giggle. The sound sent a shiver down Danny's spine, and he redoubled his efforts. "Hunter, try and draw his fire away from the shield!"

Valerie angled away from Danny, making it impossible for Vlad to repel both of their fire with one hand. It took his attention off the shield—and the people it was protecting—but a little too late. Danny could see it had almost completely melted. Not only that, with Vlad concentrating all his ectoranium power on him and Valerie, he was able to push back harder against them, almost stopping the ice at the source. As the beam of ectoranium came nearer and nearer to his hands, Danny began to feel its anti-ghost effects, like getting too close to a live, high-voltage wire.

Vlad laughed again, that weird, mad giggle. "Two of you aren't enough to defeat me, child! You should know that by now!"

A loud thunk reverberated across the mall. One by one, the lights snapped on, followed immediately by the whine of ecto-weapons powering up as the humans dropped their bats and axes and reached for the big guns once more.

Danny, struggling to hold his ground and starting to shake from being too close to the ectoranium, couldn't even manage a smile or the quip that was on the tip of his tongue.

Fortunately, his father had that covered. "How about seven, then, Vladdy? That enough to beat you?" And he fired the Fenton Bazooka. Only, instead of green ectoplasm, blue ice shot out of the barrel.

Another blue blast joined Danny's dad's, this one from Mr. Gray's blaster. Then, the Mansons were firing at him and, finally, Danny's mom. The combined strength of the weapons forced Vlad to redirect his ectoranium, giving Danny some relief. After a few moments of the onslaught, however, Vlad turned back into that strange, green vapor—his version of going intangible—and disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Mr. Manson called out, looking around.

"Up there!" Mr. Gray was pointing up to the railing around the second story, where the mist was re-forming in front of the destroyed lingerie store. They all took aim again, but the distance was a little far for them to fire from the ground. Valerie and Danny flew up after him, and he responded with more beams of ectoranium, which they blocked with ice, holding him off in another stalemate while his parents and friends' parents below raced for the escalator.

"ARAGON!" Vlad shouted without letting up the rain of ectoranium.

_Please let the Wail have taken him out, please let the Wail have taken him out— _Danny bit back a few more curses when the black ghost dragon appeared down the hall. At least he was a little worse for wear; his wings looked heavy, like he was having trouble lifting them, and his tail was drooping.

Never taking his attention off Danny and Valerie, Vlad called over his shoulder. "Why is the power back on?"

"My... s-sister. She must have—"

"Then_ take care of it!_"

_Sam!_ Danny tried to redirect his ice beam in Aragon's direction, but Vlad was too strong for him. Aragon gave a tired bow of his enormous dragon head, then disappeared.

More beams joined Danny's and Valerie's as the adults reached the upper level, giving Danny a reprieve, but not enough to actually back off his assault. Grunting, he threw everything he had into the ice flowing out of him, pushing back against the wall of ectoranium beams.

In response, Vlad rose up off the floor, surrounding himself in a shield of green energy. "I have what I came for. At least for now. But make no mistake, Daniel. I _will_ have what's mine. _All_ of it."

Danny gritted his teeth against the bile that came to his throat at the implication. _You won't get Danielle. Never again._

"Until next time." Vlad nodded toward Danny's mom. "'Thine agonies, Francesca. Sad and compassionate to weeping make me.'" And he was gone, vaporizing into nothing.

_Francesca? What...?_ And then, exhausted and shaking from the near-brush with ectoranium, Danny collapsed to his knees.

"Danny!" His mother pushed past Mr. Gray and Mr. Manson to get to him. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, holding up his hand to motion for her to let him catch his breath.

His father, oblivious to anything but their apparent victory, pumped his Fenton Bazooka into the air. "Ha! Looks like I got those Fenton Freeze attachments up and running just in time! They worked like a charm!"

"And why am I the only one who didn't get one?" Tucker complained from the direction of the escalator.

"Handed 'em out in the RV on the way over. But I can get you hooked up—"

"Jack!" Maddie shot him a look of exasperation. "Can't you see Danny's—?"

"I'm okay. Gotta go after Sam—" Danny tried to rise to his feet, but stumbled into his mother.

"Not like this, you don't."

"Yes, he does!" Mr. Manson shouldered his Fenton Phaser and grabbed Danny by the arm, pulling him away from his mom. "I wanna know what happened to my daughter!"

"Jeremy! He—"

"It's okay, Mom." Danny didn't bother using her name, as no one who didn't know his identity had made it upstairs yet. To Mr. Manson and his wife, who had joined them as well, he gave a quick reassurance. "She obviously got the power back on, so she's fine. I just have to go find her and get that amulet off of her, and she'll be back to normal."

"You stay and recoup. I'll go after her," Valerie offered.

"No. It's my responsibility."

She looked like she was going to argue with him, then thought better of it. "I'll help, then."

He nodded. "Yeah, okay. And the rest of you should probably split up and see what the rest of the skeleton drones that scattered around town are up to. With that hive-mind thing they have going, they might have already been recalled when Vlad took off, but we'd better do a sweep of town to make sure."

His mom held up a Fenton Thermos. "Now that this is working again, I'll collect a few whole skeletons, and we'll be that much closer to figuring out how to cut Vlad's powers off at the source."

"Cool." He turned to Valerie and took hold of her arm. "Whaddaya say we take the intangibility shortcut?" Focusing his energy until he became intangible, he allowed the power to spread to Valerie as well. Then, he flew the two of them through the roof of the mall and out into the murky blue twilight sky.

When he released his power and they were tangible again, Val called her sled into being under her feet, and the two of them hovered in the air above the mall a moment.

"Uh..." Valerie began. "I don't see any dragons, and you'd think they'd be kinda hard to miss."

Danny grimaced. _So_ not good. "What about your equipment? Don't you have some sort of ghost tracker?"

Valerie held her right forearm in front of her, and a small GPS monitor popped out. With her left hand, she punched in a few things on its keyboard, and it started beeping. "I'm getting ecto readings all over the place—the skeleton warriors, no doubt. But there are two stronger blips out over the lake. That could be them."

She'd barely gotten the words _over the lake_ out of her mouth when Danny was off, flying toward the lakefront. Just as the shoreline came into view, he saw them—two dragons, one blue and one black, locked in combat high above the water.

Behind him, Valerie whistled. "Looks like Sam is kicking Aragon's butt! You go, girl!"

The knot in Danny's stomach loosened, but just a little. "Still. I'd rather she be kicking his butt as a human."

When they got a little closer, Danny could hear the blue dragon, in all its mono-focused anger shout, _"CHAUVINIST PIG!" _before shooting a volley of green flame at the black dragon's left flank.

Aragon, his movements erratic, turned to his right in an attempt to dodge, but the fire caught him on the left side of his tail, and he howled in pain and rage. "You are not of Dragon lineage! Return that amulet to me immediately!"

Danny let his core temperature drop, preparing his ice powers. "Hey, Scaly! Just because a girl dumps you doesn't mean she's giving the jewelry back!"

Aragon turned, just in time to get a face full of ice from Danny, with a side of pink ectoplasm from Valerie's sled-mounted guns. While they had him distracted, the Sam-dragon got in a good kick in his right flank. He let out a strangled cry—almost a whimper—before plummeting toward the water.

_Oh, great. Wasn't looking to take a swim in Lake Michigan..._ Sighing, Danny dove after him, but before the black dragon even hit the water, he turned invisible. Danny, too tired himself to sense the ghost's invisible presence, stopped short less than ten feet above the inky surface of the water and waited for the splash that would help him key in on Aragon's location.

No splash came.

"What happened? Where'd he go?" Valerie asked, pulling up just above Danny's head.

"Must've gone intangible and taken off. See if you can track him. I'm gonna try and get that amulet off Sam."

Shooting back up into the sky, Danny almost ran into the blue dragon herself, who looked furious at the loss of her prey. _"CHAUVINIST PIG!"_

"Whoa, Sam! You got him! He's—"

A burst of green flame cut him off.

"Hey! I'm not the bad guy here!"

"_CHAUVINIST PIG!"_

"Okay, now that's just stereotyping. Just because I'm a guy—" He went intangible as she came at him, reappearing on the other side. "Val! She's not gonna stop until we get that amulet off her!"

"On it!"

"_CHAUVINIST PIG!"_ The dragon wheeled around and came at him again.

"You know, that tune's getting a little played, Sam. I know you've got a bunch of others. How 'bout 'Meat is Murder'? Or 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'?" He ducked under another volley of flame. "Today would be good, Val!"

"Keep your shirt on!" Valerie soared around behind the dragon. As she got close to her neck, she leaned over, grabbing the thick chain of the amulet with both hands.

As soon as she felt Valerie's hands on the amulet, the Sam-dragon reared up like a rodeo bull, jerking Valerie off her sled. Shaking her massive head, she whipped Valerie back and forth as the ghost hunter clung to the amulet chain. "Whoa! Little... help here?"

While the dragon was distracted, Danny came in from the other side and also grabbed the chain, only as soon as it was in his grasp, he turned both himself and the amulet intangible. Without its solid mass, Valerie had nothing to cling to, and she fell with a shriek, but Danny knew she'd be able to call her sled to catch her long before she hit the water. The dragon, on the other hand—with the amulet no longer a tangible presence around her neck, there was nothing to sustain the dragon form. She glowed white, then started shrinking from dragon-sized to human-sized, until she was Sam once more.

And then, she dropped.

Turning solid, Danny dove after her, catching her about a dozen feet above the lake's surface. As she settled into his arms, she groaned, then blinked her eyes open. "Danny? Did we win?"

Danny let out a breath. "It's over. You got the power back on, and Vlad and Aragon both turned tail. So to speak."

She smiled. "I knew you'd come after me."

"I'll always come after you, Sam. Only... let's _never_ do that again, 'kay?"

* * *

Vlad let himself drift, his molecules a mist so fine that even the most sensitive detectors would not register his presence. He watched a while as Daniel and Valerie took off after Aragon while the other so-called ghost hunters left to go after his remaining minions. Not that it made a difference to him. The ones that mattered would be back in the Ghost Zone by now, and he had what he'd come for.

Even completely without form, he could feel the impulse to curl his hand around the three gems in his pocket. Of course, he currently had neither hands, pockets, nor gems, so he could do no such thing, but when he'd returned home and was in human form once more, he would have all three. He imagined the smooth edges of the stones, his very favorites of the entire collection, under his fingertips.

But even as his memory perceived the feeling of the gems in his hands, he watched the woman for whom the entire endeavor had been named as she walked among the police officers, sucking up skeletons into that ridiculous thermos her idiot husband had invented. She alone among the ghost hunters had stayed behind, more interested in capturing dormant skeletons that were no longer a threat than hunting for any possible active ones that may remain.

Curious, that.

What was it she'd said? _Now that this is working again, I'll collect a few whole skeletons, and we'll be that much closer to figuring out how to cut Vlad's powers off at the source._

If his eyes had been physical things, they would have widened. _She knows!_

Well, of course she knew. She was a brilliant scientist, unlike the oaf she'd been trapped into marrying. But if she knew... would she give him away? Surely she wouldn't—

No. She wouldn't betray him. His Francesca would never betray her Paolo.

He watched her as she worked, her slender, black-gloved fingers operating the switches on the ghost-catching device with practiced ease as she vacuumed up skeletons.

He puzzled over this a moment. If she knew, why did she need the skeletons? To confirm her theory?

_I'll collect a few whole skeletons, and we'll be that much closer to figuring out how to cut Vlad's powers off at the source._

_Closer_ to figuring out. She didn't know, then. But she was close. Very, very close. She wouldn't betray him, of that he was certain, but best not to take the chance. He could stop her before she found the whole truth. Or...

He could feel lips he didn't have curling into a smile. Or he could use this to further his end goal.

_Oh, yes. I _will_ have what's mine._


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

_**Lakefront  
Amity Park**_

Sam watched as Danny folded his cell phone and shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans. "Dani's okay?" she asked, although she didn't really need to. The relief in his voice as he'd talked to Jazz was answer enough.

He nodded. "Jazz says she felt better as soon as they got away from all those skeletons. Of course, then she wanted to go back and fight, so Jazz had a heck of a time keeping her at FentonWorks. At least until she found out Vlad was there. Jazz said she got really quiet after that." He paused, his eyes flicking downward. "For all her tough talk, I think Vlad really scares the hell out of her."

"Can you blame her?"

His face grew hard. "No. I pretty much blame him. For everything. Ever. He really did a number on her."

Sam realized he was thinking about what Dani had said to him in the shrine about her early days with Vlad. _ She's not the only one he did a number on,_ she thought, but she knew better than to say anything. Instead, she told him, "We can go see her, if you want."

"No. I'll see her when I get back. I wanna get you home first. Your parents—"

"My parents will keep. I just talked to them on the phone. They know I'm fine." What she didn't tell him was that her dad had sounded like he could breathe fire himself, and she was probably in for the grounding of a lifetime, which was why she was in no rush to get home.

"Sam. You _turned into a ghost dragon right in front of them_. Don't you think that might have freaked them out just a little?"

She tried without much success to keep the irritation from her voice. "So? Freaky things happen when we fight ghosts. They're gonna have to get used to it."

"Freaky things happen because of _me_, and they _don't_ have to get used to it. They could send you to some boarding school in the Swiss Alps or something, far, far away from the ghost fighting." He didn't have to add the _or from me _that she knew was there. It was the same refrain he'd been singing since he'd told her parents who he really was—_his_ decision, not hers, but that refrain was just as repetitive as his, so she didn't bother.

Instead, she chose a different track. "I make my own choices, Danny. You couldn't stop me from putting on that amulet, and they can't make me go anywhere I don't want to go. So stop stressing about my parents, and let's just go to your house first so you can check on Danielle and see for yourself that she hasn't melted away while you were gone."

Even before Danny stiffened, she realized she'd said the absolute worst thing she could possibly say. She'd intended it as hyperbole, a gentle dig at his tendency to hover over Dani, but since melting away was exactly what had almost happened to her before they'd rescued her from Vlad, Sam had managed instead to poke a very sharp, dirty stick into an already festering wound.

Silently berating herself with every synonym for _idiot_ she could think of, she tried again. "I'm _so_ sorry, Danny. I didn't mean it like that. What I _meant_ to say is that we don't have to go rushing back to placate my parents. I stopped the fog and got the power back on, right? And then you got the amulet off me. You saved the day, just like you always do, so it's all good."

With a sideways look, he made a skeptical sound at the back of his throat. "Somehow, I don't think your parents are gonna see it that way."

She could tell he wasn't going to budge, so she grudgingly let him take her home, but only after making him promise they'd walk back to the Nasty Burger to get his car instead of flying straight home. Not only was he spent from the Ghostly Wail and fighting Vlad, she wanted to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. _Maybe it'll give my parents time to cool down._

* * *

_**The Manson Residence  
Amity Park**_

_Or not._

Sam's parents were waiting for her in the foyer when she opened her front door. But, instead of the tirade she'd been bracing herself for, they merely stood near the staircase, glaring like a pair of gargoyle statues. If gargoyle statues would ever be caught dead in argyle and floral prints, that is.

Danny broke the silence first with an attempt at cheerfulness. "Here she is, safe and sound and back to normal, just like—"

"Yes, all back to normal, so it's all just fine and dandy," her father cut him off. "What difference could it possibly make that we watched our daughter _turn into a dragon_—a _ghost_ dragon, no less—so long as everything turns out okay? The ends always justify the means, right, Daniel?"

If her dad had slapped him in the face, Danny couldn't have looked more stunned. "I—"

Sam felt like someone had just set off a rocket launcher in her chest. "How is this _his_fault? I'm the one who put on that amulet—"

"And we'll be discussing that in a moment, young lady." Her dad's icy gaze moved from her back to Danny. "I think we've had enough for one day, don't you, Daniel?"

Danny flinched, still looking like he'd been slapped. "Y-yes, Mr. Manson."

"Stop it, Dad! This is not his fault! We needed the power back on, and I figured out how to do that. The power's on, Vlad and Aragon are gone, and I'm fine, so what's the big deal?"

Her mother, who'd been hovering in the background until this point, took a step forward. "The 'big deal,' Samantha, is that you are sixteen years old! You shouldn't be involved in any of this... this... _unearthly nonsense._ But why are you? Because of _him_."

"Mrs. Manson, I—"

She held up a white-gloved hand. "I've had enough of ghosts for one night."

Shame and rage burned Sam's face as she gaped at her mother in horror. _"Mom!"_

"I should go," Danny said quietly.

Sam's father stepped around them to open the door. "Yes, you should. Good night, Daniel."

Danny flinched again, then turned and left without saying another word or even meeting Sam's eye. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, her dad turned to her. "Now—"

"His name is Danny."

Her father blinked. "Excuse me?"

"His name is _Danny_," she repeated. It was an effort to keep her voice low and steady with all the fury that was bubbling up in her chest. "Not 'Daniel.' Danny."

She wasn't sure if her dad's bewildered expression was because of her choice of topic, or the fact that she wasn't shouting. Yet. He glanced at her mother a moment, before recomposing himself and looking back at her with fatherly superiority. "'Danny' is a diminutive. A sign of familiarity and affection. That boy has been lying to us for two years. I don't feel familiarity or affection, so I prefer to use his proper name."

"_I've_ been lying to you for two years. Me. Not Danny. _I'm_ the one who didn't tell you who he was or what we were doing. _I'm_ the one who put on that amulet today." She turned from her dad to her mother. "And if you've 'had enough of ghosts', you can just blame me for that, too, since _I'm_ the one who talked him into going into that portal in the first place. I know it's more convenient for you to forget that and blame him for everything, but it's not his fault. None of it. It's mine."

"Oh, there's plenty of blame to go around." Her mother's eyes were ice. "You'll be grounded for quite some time for that little stunt you pulled in the mall."

"Fine. Ground me. I don't care. Just stop treating Danny like he's some sort of roach that crawled into your perfectly sanitized little world. He doesn't deserve that."

"And just what does he deserve?" Her dad's voice pitched upward the way it did when he was upset. "A medal for dragging our daughter into this dangerous, _abnormal_ world of his?"

"How about a medal for saving your daughter's life? Numerous times! How about a medal for saving _your_ lives? _Everyone's_ lives?"

"None of us would have been in any danger to begin with if it weren't for all these ghosts going after _him_."

"They go after him because he stands up to them. To protect _us_! To protect this _normal_ world you love so much!"

"Well, he certainly didn't have to drag you into all of it with him!"

Sam let out a huff of air in frustration. "Do you even _listen_? _He_ didn't drag _me_ into it. _I_ dragged _him_. All he ever wanted was to be normal. Okay, so his parents are ghost hunters and into all that freaky stuff, but he's not them, any more than I'm you. If anything, he'd be your dream guy, if it weren't for his parents and the ghost powers. More normal than any guy you could ever hope I'd fall in love with."

Her mom sniffed. "He's hardly the boy we'd dream of for you, even without all the ghost weirdness."

"He's _exactly_ the boy you'd dream of for me! He doesn't wear black or have any body piercings or shave his head. He's polite and doesn't do protests or causes. He even wanted to be an astronaut, of all things! You don't get much more all-American than that! You'd be crazy about him if you weren't so invested in hating him! But you can't love him, because then you'd have to admit that he's _not the problem_. It's not him, or ghosts, or anything else you want to blame. It's _me_. The person you really can't stand is _me_."

"Don't start with the—what do you kids call it?" Her dad made air quotes. "'Emo rage?'" Throwing the back of his hand to his forehead, he affected a melodramatic tone. "'Oh, poor teenaged me! My parents hate me, so I must wear black to show the world how I suffer!'"

"You think I'm _emo_? You don't even know what that _means_. I don't wear black because I feel sorry for myself. I _like_ my life. And I don't need to paste on a fake smile and pretend there's nothing dark or weird in the world to do it! I wear black because I embrace the dark and the weird, just as it is, and I was like this long before I ever met Danny. If anything, I've toned down since we've become friends."

She glared from her mother to her father and back again. "But you can't afford to let go of this delusion that he's somehow responsible for who I am, because if you did, you just might have to admit that it's _you_. That you failed. You couldn't turn your own daughter into the sweet little Barbie doll you wanted, all dressed in pink ribbons and bows, so you blame him. But I was never going to be what you wanted, with or without Danny."

"You just watch how you speak to us, young lady!" Her dad wagged a finger at her. "We have plenty of reasons to take issue with Daniel—"

"HIS NAME IS DANNY!"

He blinked, momentarily caught off guard by her sudden outburst, but he recovered quickly. "And I already told you, to use that name would imply a closeness or endearment he hasn't earned and your mother and I don't feel."

"Fine! Then call him 'Mr. Fenton,' or 'young man,' or hell, call him 'Ghost Child' like the rest of his enemies, if you must, but don't you _ever_ call him 'Daniel!'"

"Why on earth not? It's his name, isn't it?"

"Because it's what _Vlad_ calls him. And if you knew... if you had any idea..." She stopped, having to swallow over the lump that appeared out of nowhere in her throat.

"We know perfectly well—"

"You know _nothing_. You think what Vlad's done to this town, to the world, is anything? It's nothing compared to the things he's done to Danny personally."

Tears spilled out of her eyes, hot against her cheeks, and she swiped at them with the heel of her hand, aware that she looked exactly like the kind of emo teenager her father had accused her of being. But she didn't care. She saw the way Danny flinched whenever they called him that. It was worse than anything else they said to him. Even the snide comment about ghosts couldn't get to him the way the name _Daniel_ could. Especially the way they hurled it like an accusation.

"Like?" Her father's arms were crossed and he was tapping his foot, impatient. He wasn't asking because he actually cared about what Vlad might have done to Danny. He was just looking to prove to himself that he was right and she was being a drama queen.

She'd sooner gouge her own heart out with a spoon, however, than try to explain to him, or to her mother, about Danielle and what Vlad had done to bring her into this world. "Nothing. It's personal."

"Of course it is," her mother said, her voice tight and dry. "Everything's personal with you isn't it? You couldn't be bothered to tell us that you were fighting ghosts, or dating one, so why tell us anything else that's going on in your life?"

"Because this isn't about my life, it's about Danny's!"

"That's exactly right. This is about _Daniel_ and the negative affect he's had on your life! So don't go dragging Vlad into this and try to make it about him."

It was all Sam could do to keep from slapping her. "You have _no_ idea. Vlad's a monster. A sick, twisted monster. So if you need to keep up this charade that Danny's the source of all evil in my life, then fine. Treat him like dirt, call him anything you want, but don't you _ever_ call him the same thing Vlad calls him. I promise you, you do _not_ want to be associated with the things that... that... sick, slimy_ piece of filth _has done."

Then, knowing it would probably get her grounded through college, she jerked open the front door.

Her father moved to shut the door on her, but she was already on the front porch. He called after her. "Samantha Ashley Manson! Where do you think you are going?"

"Anywhere but here!" She took the steps two at a time and was off down the street without looking back.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-one**

_**City Hall  
Amity Park**_

She found him sitting on the front steps of City Hall, just inside the ghost shield. She'd gone to his house first, but when his sister told her he'd stopped by only long enough to check on Dani before taking off again, Sam had guessed this is where he might be, sitting in the shadow of the statue of his own alter ego holding up the world.

He'd started coming here not long after Vlad's return. At first, Sam had given him grief about his ego, but she quickly grew to realize these pilgrimages weren't about self-aggrandizement. They were about self-flagellation.

When Vlad had first come back after nearly being killed by the asteroid, he'd managed to distract them from what he was doing by mucking around in their personal lives. Ever since then, Danny saw the statue as a reminder of his obligation to the world and would come here and just stare at it whenever he thought he'd failed. After Danielle's rescue, he'd started coming here almost daily.

In those few weeks, Sam had learned to hate that statue.

Sighing, she approached the steps from the side of the building. "You know, when my grandma commissioned all these statues, she meant it as a tribute. I don't think she would have done it if she'd have known you would take it as a directive."

He blinked in surprise, obviously so engrossed in his own thoughts, he hadn't even noticed her until she spoke. "Sam? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be grounded." Then, he frowned. "Please tell me you didn't sneak out behind your parents' backs. They're mad enough already."

"Okay. I didn't sneak out behind my parents' backs." Sitting down beside him, she paused just long enough for him to give her a skeptical look before continuing. "I stormed out in front of their faces."

He threw his head back and groaned. "Sam, no..."

"There's a good chance I might finish law school before I'm over being grounded, but I couldn't take it another second. The things they say..."

He rubbed his face with his hand before sitting up straight to face her. "Sam, I do not want you in trouble and fighting with your parents because of me."

"It isn't because of you."

"Right. That whole rant about you being in danger because of me, that had nothing to do with it."

She made a derisive sound at the back of her throat. "Oh, honestly, Danny. I am not in danger because of you. I'm _alive_ because of you. And they know it."

"You've also almost been killed because of me, and _you_ know it. Fighting with them about it—about _me_—is only going to make things harder for us. They don't need any more reasons to hate me."

"They don't hate you, Danny. They hate _me_."

He frowned. Unlike her parents, he knew her well enough to know she wasn't one for pity parties, so he took the statement at face value. "They don't hate you, Sam. They _love_ you. They want to protect you. I mean, I know they go overboard, and they don't _get_ you. But they love you."

"Yeah, okay," she conceded. "I know they love me, and they want to protect me and everything. But they don't _like_ me. They haven't for a really long time. Since way before you and I met. You're just the convenient excuse to blame it all on. 'It's all because of the ghosts.'" She snorted. "Because I was such the Disney Princess before you and I met."

That got a wan grin out of Danny. "More like a Brothers Grimm princess."

"I know, right? But when you told them who you really are, you handed them the perfect scapegoat. So long as they're spending so much energy convincing themselves they can't stand you, they don't have to face the fact that it's their own daughter they can't stand."

He let out a long breath. "Listen, Sam, I know you had issues with your parents long before I came along, but I don't want to be the thing that makes it worse. You snuck around behind their backs for almost three years to fight ghosts... with me. You still put yourself in danger to fight ghosts... with me. You storm out... to come see me. This isn't good. It isn't good for you, and it isn't good for us."

"What am I supposed to do, pretend I'm something I'm not just to make them happy?"

"Of course not! But you have to stop fighting with them about me. I don't want to be one more thing between you and them. They're your parents. Your _family_. And they're not bad people. They're helping fight Vlad, even though they hate ghosts and ghost-fighting and all of it. They're not even stopping us from seeing each other, even though they really want to. They just want what they think is best for you, like any parents. They're wrong about what that is, but still."

"They're wrong about everything, Danny. They're wrong about me, they're wrong about you—"

"That's just it. They're _not_ wrong about me."

"How are they not wrong about you? We just established I was never going to be what they wanted me to be, with or without you."

"But I _lied_ to them. For almost three years, I lied to them about who I am and what I was doing with their daughter. I can't blame them for being mad at me."

"No. _I_ lied to them."

"About _me_."

"Well, _yeah_. We were keeping your identity secret. And look at how they reacted when you told them the truth. So yeah, we lied to them. With good reason."

He looked down, his face scrunching up like he'd just swallowed week-old sludge scraped from the bottom of a coffee pot. "There's always a 'good reason' for me to lie, isn't there? To your parents, to Tucker's parents, to _my_ parents. I lied to Valerie while trying to date her. I lied to Jazz, even though she saw through it. All for a 'good reason.' Lies on top of excuses on top of more lies."

"So, what? It would be better if the whole world knew? Let's just call a press conference and hand you over to the Guys in White, then!"

"Dammit, Sam!" Pounding his knee with his fist, he whipped his head up to look at her. "I'm not talking about the world. I'm talking about the people who _matter_. It was irresponsible to keep it from our parents for so long."

He paused, the anger draining away as quickly as it had flared up, leaving remorse in its wake. His shoulder sagging under the weight, he looked down once more. "I should have told my parents, back in the beginning."

Sam pressed her lips together, understanding the meaning behind the words. They were back to Dani and how he'd failed her. Again. Sam put her hand on his shoulder. "What happened to Dani is not your fault either."

"Yeah, it pretty much is."

"No, it's Vlad's fault. No one else's."

"Oh, it's his fault all right. No doubt about that. But would he have even gotten near her if I'd have told my parents about her in the beginning? There's a direct line between me ignoring my responsibility toward her and everything that happened to her since."

"You're not Spider-Man, and Dani's not your Uncle Ben, so stop beating yourself up over that. That stuff you said to Dani about focusing on the path you're on instead of all the 'what ifs' and the ways things could have gone if you'd have done it differently? That doesn't just apply to you and me and Valerie, you know."

He narrowed his eyes. "Wait. You _heard_ that? Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"Yeah, I was, okay?" When his expression turned to one of reproach, she crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him. "What? It's only okay to listen in on someone when they're talking about you if you have invisibility powers? I'm violating some kind of ghost union rule?" He'd confessed to eavesdropping on her and her grandmother when they'd been talking about him during that whole viral-video-of-her-making-out-with-"the-Ghost-Boy" mess.

He conceded her point with a sigh. "Okay. Pot, kettle. I get it."

"I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything." Not that both of them hadn't ever been guilty of that particular transgression, either. "I just overheard her ask you about Valerie, and I wanted to hear your answer. And I'm glad I did, because it was a good one. Not just because of what you said about us, although I appreciate that. More than you know. But because of what you said about not staying stuck in the past and worrying about the what-ifs."

She put her hand over his. "Maybe it was a mistake to not tell your parents about Dani right away. Or maybe your parents weren't ready to be okay with you being a half ghost or with all the other stuff, and maybe it would've blown up spectacularly in your face. You don't know. And more to the point, you have to stop dwelling on the path you didn't take. We're _here_. Dani's here—because you saved her life. Again, I might add. And did you even hear what she said to you about love? You were the first person to ever really show her what it means to love somebody else. Don't discount that. She doesn't."

He pulled his hand away. "Yeah, leaving a twelve-year-old kid to fend for herself in the Ghost Zone like she was just another ghost. That's love, all right."

"You didn't leave her. _She_ left _you_. And you were only fifteen yourself at the time, Danny. _Fifteen_. You didn't know—"

"I knew enough! I knew she was alone in the world. I knew what Vlad had done to her. I knew she came from _my_ DNA."

"That doesn't make you the boss of her. Don't forget, I was there in Colorado when you first found out about her. She disappeared on us at Vlad's cabin, then took off again pretty quickly after making a brief appearance in Amity Park to get us out of trouble. You couldn't have gotten her to stay with you if you'd have wanted to. So stop blaming yourself for decisions other people make. You're no more responsible for Dani going off to live on her own in the Ghost Zone than you are for me putting on that amulet and turning into a dragon. And you most definitely are not responsible for what Vlad does. To anyone. _Ever_."

Turning from her, he focused his attention on the statue in the middle of the square. Viewed through the ghost shield, the gray-hued bronze looked to Sam almost like it was glowing an unearthly green, less a manmade statue than something that came from the Ghost Zone. Without taking his eyes off it, he told her, "Just before they made that statue, you were the one who reminded me that I couldn't just sit on the sidelines. That my powers gave me a chance to change things that no one else could. Remember?"

She gripped the edge of the step she was sitting on tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. "I wish I could take back everything I said to you that night. When I said that, you'd completely given up. I was trying to shake you out of doing _nothing_! But I certainly never meant that you were responsible for _everything,_ all the time! There's a lot of space between _nothing_ and _everything_, Danny. Your pendulum swings between those two extremes would impress even Clockwork."

He shook his head. "You were right, though. My powers do give me a chance no one else has. That makes everything Vlad does my responsibility. Because I'm the only one who can fight him."

"_Excuse_ me? The rest of us there in the mall were just window dressing? What are you, the Lone Ranger all of a sudden?"

"No, I don't mean that. I know I can't fight him by myself. But ultimately, whether we succeed or fail all falls on me because of who he is and who I am. He's my responsibility, period. And I can't ever forget that, because when I do, that's when people get hurt."

She studied him a moment. "Yes, you can do things the rest of us can't. And that's a really great thing, to have something you can give to the world that no one else can. But that doesn't mean it all falls on you. Let the people who love you share the load. And I don't mean just helping fight." Reaching a tentative hand toward him, she traced a gentle line with the back of her finger from his temple down his jawline, hoping to relieve some of the tension she could see there. "Let us really share the load, Danny."

"You can't. My burden is my burden. No one else's." With a slight but deliberate move of his head, he pulled away from her touch.

Sighing, she dropped her hand and turned toward the bronze sculpture that forever damned him to propping up the world with a single, upraised arm, and a thought occurred to her. "You know what that statue reminds me of? The Torah reading I did for my Bat Mitzvah."

He tilted his head and gave her a puzzled look. "How on Earth does a statue of me remind you of a Torah reading?"

"It's kind of a strange story, actually. Torah readings are done on specific dates, and when I first heard the story I'd be reading on the day of my Bat Mitzvah, I hated it, because it's all about war and destruction, but my grandma said that everything in the Torah has a purpose, and that someday I'd understand what this story meant. And now I finally do."

"And it has something to do with that statue." It wasn't a question so much as a statement of skepticism.

"Sort of, yeah. It's from Exodus, after the Israelites left Egypt and passed through the Red Sea. They got into this war with some other group, and Moses went up onto the top of this hill overlooking the battle. So long as he held up his arms with the staff God had given him, the Israelites were winning the battle. But any time he put his arms down, their enemies would start winning.

"The problem was, he was the only person who could hold the staff of God and without him, the Israelites were doomed. But he couldn't possibly hold it up forever, so his brother Aaron and some other guy went up the hill with him, and when his arms got tired, they stood on either side of him and held his arms up for him. Moses was the only one who could do what he did, but it wasn't all on him. He had his family, his friends to help hold his arms up."

She made another attempt to reach out to him, taking his chin in her hand and gently turning his face towards her. "I know you can do things the rest of us can't. But you don't have to hold up the whole world by yourself, Danny. You can rest. The people who love you, we can help you hold your arms up when you're tired. But you have to _let_ us." She leaned closer, her voice becoming a whisper. "Let us help you, Danny."

She kissed him and, at first he responded, kissing her with a need that wasn't so much passionate as it was... desolate, like the parched desert ground soaking up a few drops of rain.

But then, he pulled back, his forehead resting against hers. "She needed me, and I wasn't there." His voice was ragged, and it broke Sam's heart.

"You _were_ there. That's what she was trying to tell you back in the Far Frozen. She needed someone to care, someone she _mattered_ to. You gave her that. You gave her a family. You can't always protect the people you love from getting hurt, but the fact that you want to means everything. So please, give yourself a break."

He jerked away from her again. "Like I took a break when my parents sold FentonWorks to the Guys in White and they almost destroyed the Ghost Zone and our world along with it? Like I took a break when I got rid of my powers because I didn't like the way Vlad was bruising my ego? Like I took a break while Aragon was tearing up Dora's kingdom and handing Danielle over to Vlad to torture?"

She couldn't help but sigh once more. "Danny, you weren't taking a break when Dora's kingdom fell. You didn't _know_, that's all. You're not omniscient! And those other things? That's the _other_ extreme. It's not all or nothing!"

"It is, though." Abruptly, he stood up and looked down at her. "When I take a break, people get hurt. No more breaks. Not until Vlad can't hurt anyone ever again." He started down the steps and through the shield surrounding City Hall.

Sam jumped up behind him. "Danny, please—"

"Go home, Sam. Go home and make things right with your parents. Don't give them any more reason to hate me. That's what you can do for me." And before she could say anything else, he transformed into ghost form and took off into the night sky.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The Torah reading that Sam referenced is from Exodus 17:8-13.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-two**

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

By noon, Tucker was exhausted. Not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, he nevertheless had dragged himself to City Hall at seven a.m. to get reports on the damage from the previous night's citywide attacks.

And it was extensive. The mall was the worst—the entire mall would have to be closed for a day or two at least. Longer for the stores hardest hit. Not good for the city's economy right at the beginning of summer vacation when the teenagers usually turned out in force to spend hours shoving their quarters into games at the arcade or seeing who could slam down the most Freez-Es at the food court.

But the mall was by no means the only problem. The entire town was like Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict. City Hall itself had a ghost shield and had remained largely untouched, but the police department, the main library, the courthouse, and dozens of other government buildings had all taken some hits. Downtown, shops had been vandalized and looted, while uptown, cars had been set on fire, causing explosions that damaged several buildings, including a couple houses on the end of Sam's street in Eidolon Hill. Warehouses down by the docks had been torched. The bridge to Elmerton had been blocked off by concrete barricades stolen from a nearby construction site. A water main at Floody Waters had been hacked to pieces, causing the water park to live up to its name—more valuable summer revenue down the drain, so to speak.

By lunchtime, they still only had an overview of the extent of the damage and no idea how to apportion resources. He'd been on the phone with the governor half the morning discussing what state resources might be allocated to the town, but not a whole lot could be done without declaring a state of emergency, which would likely lead to the feds getting involved. The last thing they needed were Guys in White swarming all over Amity Park, so Tucker had to decline.

His eyes beginning to blur even with his glasses on, and his stomach growling like Wulf at a convention of Walker's goons, Tucker decided to take a well-deserved break at the Nasty Burger.

Didn't hurt that Valerie was working the lunch shift today. A feast for the stomach and the eyes.

"Hey, Tuck, what'll it be?" Valerie asked when he stepped up to the counter to order.

He leaned on the cash register, arching a seductive eyebrow at her. "Depends. When's your break, and what do you have time for?"

She rolled her eyes, indicating the crowded restaurant with an impatient wave. "Does it look like I'm getting a break anytime soon? With the mall closed, every student from Casper High is eating here, so just tell me your order, and then you can have your choice of girls to hit on who aren't trying to work the lunch rush."

Not wanting to push it when she was in a bad mood, Tucker straightened. "A Mighty Meaty Melt Meal with extra cheese and bacon, hold the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and supersize the fries and soda."

She eyed him as she punched in his order. "Where do you _put_ all that food? You couldn't weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet."

"Hey!"

"But if I so much as get regular dressing instead of low fat on my grilled chicken Nasty Salad, I gain ten pounds. How is that fair?"

He leaned back to get a better appraisal of her statement, then shook his head. "Believe me, Val, you got nothing to worry about. Even in that uniform."

"Always the flirt."

"Doesn't make it not true."

That got a smile before she schooled her features into something more scolding. "Don't think flattery's gonna get you any extra fries."

She turned away from the counter, but when she returned a moment later with his food, her mood was improved, so he gave it another shot, this time without the innuendo. "You sure you can't take your lunch break now?"

"Not for another hour at least. Sorry, Tuck."

"Okay. Well, maybe—"

"Move it or lose it so I can order, geek."

Tucker moved out of the way of the jock behind him, but glared over his shoulder as he walked away. "That's Mayor Geek to you."

Disappointed that he hadn't caught Valerie during her break, he took solace in managing to snag a booth near the counter just as an older couple was leaving. From that vantage point, he could watch her work while he ate. Not as much fun as her company, but at least he could enjoy the view without having to try to think of witty things to say.

Not that he was uncomfortable around her. They'd become pretty tight ever since she'd started hanging out with them after the asteroid crisis. But the more he got to know her, the harder it was to be completely at ease with her, especially when Danny and Sam weren't there. He was always hyper-conscious of her presence—her rich, throaty laugh would make his heart pound in his ears, her hand on his shoulder could turn his brain to pudding, and Lord help him if she wanted some kind of favor from him and gave him that cocked head paired with the gigawatt smile. He'd be comatose for days.

He lingered over lunch as long as he could, watching her take orders with a pasted-on smile. All too soon, however, he'd eaten his last fry, and a couple of kids waiting for any empty table started giving him the evil eye, so he scooped up his tray and headed for the trashcan.

While he was dumping the trash from his tray, he looked over his shoulder at the counter, hoping to catch Valerie's eye one last time so he could wave good-bye. She was in the middle of an argument with a coworker, however, and Tucker stood by the trash can a moment, hoping it would end quickly so that he could catch her eye without interrupting her. Luckily for him, it not only ended quickly, but she headed right towards him carrying a stack of unused burger wrappers and muttering to herself.

"Honestly, how is it that we still have these things after a year and a half? Am I the only person with brain enough to throw the stupid things away?"

"Throw what things away? Burger wrappers?"

Valerie stopped, startled, then smiled when she saw him. "Oh, hey, Tuck. Didn't see you there. You heading out?"

"Yeah, gotta get back to the grind. Places to go, a town to run, you know the drill."

"Sorry I couldn't eat with you, but clearly they can't do lunch rush without me, since I seem to be the only person here with any gray matter at all. No pun intended." She held out the burger wrappers she was holding. "Case in point. Would you believe Stan was going to use these?"

Tucker squinted at the wrappers. "What's wrong with them? They look like perfectly good burger wrappers to me."

"Look again." She held them closer. "They say 'McMasters.'"

He took one of the wrappers from her and inspected it more closely. Sure enough, instead of the trademark red _NB_s that usually dotted Nasty Burger wraps, they had black double _M_'s in an arched font that surely would have had McDonald's suing for trademark infringement had the restaurant operated under that name for longer than a few weeks.

"Wow, I almost forgot about that dark stain on Nasty Burger history." Shuddering, he crumpled the wrapper in his hand. "What a horrible day that was, when Vlad razed the place for his—"

He stopped short, feeling like a small boulder had just settled in his stomach, and it wasn't caused by the Mighty Meaty Melt he'd just downed. "Wait a minute. Vlad used to own this place, and he razed it. Brought in a wrecking ball and leveled it to the ground before rebuilding it as McMasters."

Valerie frowned. "Yeah, so?"

"Val, we've been looking for a place where Vlad could've built another portal, and here's a place Vlad not only owned, but completely rebuilt. _Twice_. What better time to throw in a ghost portal than when the place was closed and all that construction was going on?"

Valerie's eyes widened. "We are right next to the park, and that's where Danny thinks the portal must be."

"It's where the skeleton ghosts showed up last night, too." Tucker narrowed his eyes, remembering. "And didn't Danny's ghost sense go off before the town Ghost Alert? They must have been right under our noses."

"And Danielle felt sick from being close to them, too. It makes sense." Then, she shook her head. "But it can't be here. I've worked here the entire time, since right after my dad went bankrupt. If there was a big ole ghost portal somewhere, don't you think I might've stumbled across it sometime over the last year and a half?"

"Not if he hid it. Is there any kind of storage room or anything that employees don't have access to?"

She thought about it a moment, shaking her head slowly. "Not that I can think of. I've worked every shift, done every job from stocking the freezer to cleaning the bathrooms, and I've never seen any doors I couldn't get into."

"What about in the manager's office? Vlad had a big, plush executive office back there. That still there?"

Valerie shook her head again. "No. They portioned that off when Nasty Burger took back over again, made it into a smaller manager's office and a couple of storerooms. Office supplies in one and paper supplies, like napkins and those wrappers in the other. And believe me, I'm more familiar with those storerooms than I'd like to be."

"What about the office?"

She shrugged. "I've been in there a few times, mostly when I need to talk to Irving or whoever the manager on duty is at the time."

"But you don't know it as well as the rest of the place, right? There could be a door in there you didn't see, or thought was a closet or something?"

"Maybe. Think we should—"

"Valerie, your break's not for another half hour." A freckled man with thinning red hair and grease from the deep fryer so caked into every pore and crevice it was like his own body had started producing it stepped up beside them, his arms crossed in front of him, exposing the scars that had earned him the nickname Irving "Third Degree" Burns. "I need you back at the counter."

"I know, Irving, I was just throwing away these old McMasters wrappers—"

Tucker's eyebrows raised as an idea formed. Stepping between the two of them, he glared at Irving. "And I happened to catch her." He held the wrapper up under Irving's nose. "Do you know how old these are?"

Caught off guard, Irving scratched his head. "I dunno. Couple years, I guess?"

"That's right. A couple of years. And one of your employees was going to wrap food in these. If Ms. Gray hadn't stopped him... Well, as _mayor_ of Amity Park—" He put a strong emphasis on the word _mayor_, drawing himself up to his full height. It still put him a good four inches shorter than Irving, but after nearly a year as mayor, Tucker had learned how to make himself seem imposing. "I'm thinking maybe this place is long overdue for a health inspection. If you have burger wrappers lying around that long, who knows how long you keep _food_ around?"

Irving took a step backwards. "Uh, no sir, Mr. Mayor, we don't use any food past its expiration date."

"But you'd wrap your food in wrappers that have been collecting dust in a storeroom for two years?"

"I— Uh—"

Tucker pulled out his cell phone. "Just what I thought. I'm going to be giving the health inspector a call. Now, since you're lucky enough to have such an eagle-eyed employee like Ms. Gray, here, who caught it before these old wrappers touched the food, I'm going to ask the health inspector to come out tomorrow instead of today. That gives you twenty-four hours to go through your kitchen and make sure everything's up to code. Starting with the food in the freezer. And I expect you to see to it _personally_, not one of these flunkies who can't tell the difference between two-year-old McMasters wrappers and fresh Nasty Burger wrappers."

Irving tugged at his collar. "Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor, sir. Right away."

"Meanwhile, I'd like to see the storage closet these wrappers came from and see for myself that there aren't any other ancient supplies lying around. I'm a regular customer here, and I don't want dusty, musty wrappers touching _my_ Mighty Meaty Melt Meals." He turned to Valerie. "Would you please show me where these came from?"

"Uh... sure, Mr. Mayor. It's in the back, by the manager's office."

She gestured with her arm toward the back of the kitchen, and Tucker started off in that direction, pausing long enough to look over his shoulder back at Irving. "Don't you have a freezer to inventory?"

This startled Irving into motion. "Right. I'm on it, Mr. Mayor!"

Valerie guided Tucker back through a door marked NASTRONAUTS ONLY into the kitchen area, then towards the back corner were a small office and some storage closets were. As soon as they were out of earshot of the rest of the employees, she gave Tucker a tart look. "Nice job finding an excuse to get us back here so we could search the office, but you do realize that now I'm going to have to actually clean out that storage closet? Do you know how many years' worth of crud has been stuffed in there?"

Tucker shrugged. "So? You're getting paid, aren't you? Would you rather be taking orders from snotty cheerleaders, or cleaning the grease off the grill? Or maybe you'd rather be out front in the Nasty Nat costume with five-year-olds climbing all over you—"

Valerie held up her hand in surrender. "Okay, okay, you're right. Cleaning out the storage isn't so bad."

"But first, let's see what we can't find in Vlad's old office. Because if there's a portal in there, we just might finally get the edge in this war."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-three**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

A loud, electronic trill jarred Danny out of a dream, dissolving it like rain on a sidewalk chalk drawing, leaving behind only vague impressions. Something about Vlad turning him evil, Danielle melting into a puddle of green slime on an examination table, and Sam becoming a dragon and flying away. The only thing that he could clearly remember was the Fright Knight singing some kind of children's rhyme to him—_Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, had a dragon and couldn't keep her, couldn't put her in a pumpkin shell because pumpkins aren't in season..._

Trying to shake that ear worm out of his head, he looked around to find the source of the noise that woke him up. A second trill helped him localize the sound to his desktop computer and allowed his sleep-addled brain to finally recognize it as an incoming video message. Rubbing bleary eyes, he climbed out of bed and switched on his webcam. "Hello?"

Sam's face appeared on his monitor. "Hey. You just waking up at the crack of noon? I never thought I'd see the day when I was up before you. You used to be such a morning person."

"That was before I became a ghost. Creature of the night now."

She snorted. "That's vampires."

"Yeah, well... I had a hard time falling asleep, and I kept having weird dreams about Vlad and Danielle, and you turning into a dragon." It was then that his head cleared enough to remember all the events of the previous night. "Oh, crud, you're grounded, aren't you? Are you even supposed to be talking to me right now?"

Sam sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, a look of annoyance flickering in her eyes. "Relax. My grandma ran interference. I apologized for running off, and they kept the grounding to one week of no going out or online socializing for fun. But I can still help with Vlad-related stuff."

Danny frowned. "That seems backwards. I thought it was the ghost stuff they had a problem with in the first place."

"It is. But Grandma spent most of the time I was gone last night reiterating how important this fight is and how we all need to do what we can to help."

"Another save for your grandma. How many times does that make, now?"

"Lost count years ago. So it's all good, nothing to lose sleep over." Her snarkiness evaporated. "Although apparently you already have."

Danny felt bad for always worrying her so much, but he didn't want to get into it all again, so he tried to wave it off. "No big, it was just a dream. The worst part was the Fright Knight singing the world's worst nursery rhyme. Which reminds me, where the heck was he last night? He leads an attack on City Hall a few days ago, but when whatever Vlad's after is important enough that he shows up in person, the Fright Knight's MIA? What's that all about?"

"Who knows? Maybe Vlad was ticked at him for not getting into City Hall?"

"Maybe. He's not exactly the most loyal minion ever." Danny scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the last residual sleepiness as a thought occurred to him. "Listen, Sam. I have an idea, and if there's anyone who can make it happen, it's you. Will your parents let me come by in a bit if it's strictly business?"

She made a face. "Yeah, that's the deal we made. Which brings me to why I called. I've been doing some research, and you won't believe what I found out. I figured out what Vlad was up to last night."

Danny's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"I think so. Tucker e-mailed me a copy of the police report about what was stolen from that mall jewelry store, Derringher's. The only thing that was missing was a huge collection of purple sapphires."

"Why purple sapphires? You said a chain store like Derringher's wouldn't have any kind of gems special enough to be used in a weapon or anything."

"I know, it didn't make any sense. The only thing I could think of was that mass quantities of a specific type of gem might do the trick, but only if the stones were pretty deliberately selected for such a purpose, and it would take a long time to pull something like that together. What's the likelihood of a random sapphire collection having the right combination of stones to be useful for something like a weapon or mystical properties?"

"I'm guessing not very likely."

"No. So I did some research on the purple sapphires to see if I could figure out what Vlad would want with them, and it turns out that Derringher's has the largest collection of purple sapphires in the world, the main bulk of which is housed here in Amity Park. Or was, until last night, anyway."

She reached for her keyboard, tapping a couple of keys, and her image on Danny's monitor shrunk down to the upper left corner of the screen, while a new window opened in the bottom right, this one a webpage from Derringher's Jewelers. She then started reading from the same website on her own monitor.

"'Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but for that special woman who prefers a little color in her life, Derringher's Jewelers presents the Francesca Collection, the largest and most spectacular collection of purple sapphires in the world. Inspired by the sapphire eyes of the lovely Francesca da Rimini, immortalized in Dante's _Divine Comedy_, the Francesca Collection boasts some of the most stunning gems of the highest quality, clarity, and cut.' Okay, first of all, gag me."

Danny frowned. "Wait. Francesca? Wasn't that the name Vlad kept calling my mom last night when he was acting all weird? I mean, weird even for Vlad."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too."

A sickening thought occurred to him, and he groaned. "That whole 'sapphire eyes' thing sounds like the kind of lame come-on he'd use on her, too. Her eyes are sort of that color. Is that what this is about? This collection of purple rocks is named after some chick with eyes like my mom's, so he stole the collection with some warped idea that... what? She'd think it's romantic?"

"Close, but there's one problem with that theory. I've read Dante's _Inferno_, which is the part of the _Divine Comedy_ where Francesca da Rimini appears, and I don't remember it ever mentioning anything about the color of Francesca's eyes. And you can't see her eyes in any of the zillions of paintings of her, either. Plus, she was Italian. If anything, her eyes were probably dark, brown or black or something like that. Not blue or violet."

"So? Vlad must not be as well-read as you. He bought the jewelry store's stupid marketing campaign."

"Trust me, Vlad's definitely read the _Inferno._ For one thing, he was quoting it last night. 'Thine agonies, Francesca. Sad and compassionate to weeping make me.' And the whole thing makes no sense as a marketing campaign anyway. Are you familiar with the story of Francesca da Rimini?"

Eyebrows raised, he gave her a _duh_ look.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Qwik Notes, version, then. Dante's _Inferno_ is all about Dante journeying through the nine circles of Hell. Does that sound like the kind of fluffy romance jewelry stores usually use for marketing?"

"I guess it is a little weird."

"It gets weirder. In Dante's version of Hell, each circle represents a different level where different kinds of sinners are sent. The deeper in, the worse the sin. So, the first circle is Limbo, which is for the 'virtuous pagans.' People who were basically okay in life, but weren't baptized Christians, so they couldn't go to Heaven. Sort of Hell Lite."

"Okay."

"The second circle was Lust, for people who let their lust get the better of them. Dante thought this was pretty much the least of the sins that would get you sent to actual Hell. This is where he meets the ghosts of Francesca da Rimini and her lover, Paolo Malatesta. Francesca was married to Paolo's brother, Gianciotto, but was having an affair with Paolo. Her husband discovers them and tries to stab Paolo with his sword, but Francesca steps between them and is stabbed in his place. Then, after she dies, Gianciotto kills Paolo anyway."

Danny scratched the back of his neck. "So not only is the story about Hell, it's about an adulteress who gets offed by her husband? What's their message here, diamonds are forever but sapphires are for cheaters?"

"Except the real villain of the piece is the husband. According to some other legends, Francesca was tricked into marrying Gianciotto, who was an ugly, disfigured oaf, when the one she really loved was the handsome and suave Paolo. They were brothers, but Gianciotto stole the love of Paolo's life. Any of this ringing any bells?"

Danny was suddenly very glad he hadn't eaten yet. "That's Vlad's delusion about him and my parents in a nutshell. Emphasis on the _nut_."

"Now couple that with a marketing campaign that makes no sense." Sam leaned closer to her computer monitor. "Unless the person who made the call had a personal reason for collecting purple sapphires and naming them after Francesca. Like maybe someone who was in love with a woman with 'sapphire eyes' who was married to an oaf he'd convinced himself she didn't love."

Now Danny saw what she was getting at. "He wasn't calling my mom that name because of a collection of purple rocks. The rock collection is called that because of _my mom_. That wasn't just any random collection was it? It was _his_ collection."

"I think so. Now, I can't prove anything, at least not in one morning of digging. A _lot_ of shell companies to get through first. But there are too many coincidences. Besides the story itself and the whole 'sapphire eyes' thing, the Derringher's chain came under new ownership last fall, which is right around the time the feds seized Vladco and all its assets and sold everything off at auction."

"That's interesting timing."

"Even more interesting, Derringher's bought the first three stones of what would eventually become the Francesca Collection about twenty years ago, and they were kept primarily in their store in Madison, Wisconsin. It's only been in the last couple of years that the bulk of the collection was gradually moved to Amity Park."

"Which just so happens to be when Vlad moved from here from Madison. And twenty years would be not long after my parents got married, making the Francesca story fit." Danny shook his head. "So, that's why he sent the skeleton warriors after the mall store instead of one of the fancy uptown jewelry stores, to steal back his sapphires."

"Sapphires he's been collecting for _years_, Danny." Sam tapped on her desk to emphasize the point. "And the collection hasn't been accumulated randomly, either. Not all of it, anyway. It's always changing, with new gems being bought and added to the collections while others are sold off. But certain ones, including the first three, are not for sale. And often when stones are sold off, new stones are added that are very similar in cut, clarity, and carat weight. Remember what I said when we started this conversation?"

Danny felt like he'd swallowed some of those stones. "That it would take a long time to amass just the right collection of gems that weren't individually special, but could be used together in the right combination to make some sort of super weapon."

"And twenty years sounds like plenty of time to me."

Danny let out a long breath. "Sam, this could be how he's planning to take over the Far Frozen. Maybe Amity Park, too, unless we find that stupid portal he's using and shut it down for good."

* * *

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Tucker looked at the readout scrolling across his PDA. "Office is clear. Just the building security system, and that's turned off right now. No other surveillance systems in here."

He and Valerie stepped into the Nasty Burger manager's office, a gloomy, cramped affair with a steel desk, plastic chairs, and a desktop computer that looked older than they were. Wall-to-wall, the room took up maybe half of the space that had once been Vlad's elaborate private office during the brief McMasters days.

Now, the walls were painted a dull gray and were splattered with a few framed corporate motivational posters that showed fresh-faced, smiling teenagers in Nasty Burger uniforms and had such pithy phrases as _SERVICE WITH A SMILE KEEPS NASTY CUSTOMERS COMING BACK_ and _THE FIRST INGREDIENT IN EVERY NASTY BURGER IS LOVE_. The only personal decoration was a small, framed picture on the desk of Irving with an older woman and a guy about Irving's age dressed in a really sweet designer suit. The woman was between the two, but she was leaning toward suit-guy in a way that clearly showed she favored him. _Something tells me Irving's got some mommy issues._

Tucker went over to a poster that declared, _**N**__ICE, __**A**__TTENTIVE, __**S**__MILING, __**T**__EAM-PLAYER,__ AND __**Y**__ES-WE-CAN-ITUDE! THAT SPELLS N.A.S.T.Y.!_ and pulled it away from the wall so he could peer behind it.

"What are you doing?"

He looked at Valerie over his shoulder. "Looking for a secret door to a secret ghost portal, what do you think I'm doing?"

"There is an easier way, you know. Lock the door, Tuck."

"Won't Irving be suspicious if he comes back here and we've shut and locked his door?"

"What do you think fake-out make-outs are for?"

Tucker's brain stopped.

"Tucker?"

"Uh-huh?"

"The door?"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Right." As he reached over and closed and locked the door, he mouthed a silent prayer that Irving would, indeed, come back to check on them.

As soon as he clicked the lock home, a swirl of pink light surrounded Valerie as her battle suit materialized into existence around her. She held out her right forearm, and a small screen popped out of her gauntlet. With her left hand, she tapped out something on the keyboard beneath the screen. After a moment, she looked up at Tucker and smiled through the red tint of her helmet's faceplate. "Bingo. There's a big, empty space under the floor, like a basement."

"Any ecto readings, like a portal would give off?"

Squinting, she leaned closer to examine the readings. "No, but there's some sort of energy, and then—I don't know, some kind of void."

Tucker frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know. But there is some sort of passageway under the floor. Looks like it's electronically sealed. If we can get it open..."

A grin spread across Tucker's face. "My specialty. Where's the lock?"

She pointed to a small alarm pad on the wall. "I think it's operated from the building's security system."

"Leave it to me." Pulling out his PDA, Tucker went over to the control panel on the wall. It took him seconds to jury-rig a connection between his handhold and the system, and only a minute more to hack into it. His eyes widened when he saw what came up on his screen. "Whoa. _Now_ there's security. Alarms, video feeds, heat sensors, ecto-sensors, you name it. It's all below us."

"Can you bypass—?"

"Done." Tucker flashed her a cocky grin. "Vlad's as bad as Danny with the obvious passwords. It's _MaddieMasters_."

Valerie scrunched up her face. "Ew."

A flick of his thumb, and all alarms were shut off. The video system he left running, so if anyone came back to check it later, they wouldn't notice a time lapse, but a few more keystrokes and he had it feeding back a continuous loop of the last five minutes of empty tunnels. Then, he opened the lock. A whirring of motors vibrated the floor under his feet, and a section in the middle of the room lowered, slotting itself into stairs almost like an escalator.

He started toward the staircase, but Valerie pulled something out of another hidden pocket in her suit and slapped it on the wall near the door. "A listening device of our own, so we know if Irving comes back while we're down there," she told Tucker in reply to his questioning look.

He nodded, and the two of them headed down the stairs into a passageway lit by small lights, like a movie theater aisle. At the end of the passageway was another locked door with an electronic control panel beside it. Tucker glanced at Valerie while he rigged up his PDA to the control panel. "Can you tell where we are? Still under the Nasty Burger, or further out?"

Valerie tapped a few commands on the mini keyboard on her right arm, then raised her arm as if doing a targeting sweep across the ceiling. "We're under the parking lot, on the side of the Nasty Burger that faces the park."

"Where the ghosts always seem to show up. This has to be it." A few keystrokes on his PDA, and the door slid open. Tucker smiled. "Bingo."

Inside was a chamber that looked like a smaller version of the FentonWorks lab, only the flooring and walls were in shades of fuchsia instead of steel-gray and blue. Directly across from them was a ghost portal, at least twice as large as the one in the basement of FentonWorks, with a massive black-and-yellow striped door locked across it

"Whoa. Have you ever seen a portal so—ow!" Blue sparks flared out in front of Tucker's face, and he felt like he'd walked into a wall instead of trying to go through an open door. "What the heck was that?"

Valerie did another scan. "There's a shield around the room. That's why I couldn't get any readings."

"A ghost shield?"

"Yes, but more than that. Danny said Vlad figured out how to tweak the Ghost Shield to block humans, too. That's how he kept us locked in that creepy observatory in the Ghost Zone when he first came back. I think that's what we've got here, plus some sort of signal disruptor, which is why I can't get a reading past there."

"Well, then we'll have to shut down the shield. Knock out the power maybe."

Valerie pointed into the lab-like chamber. "I don't think this is on the town's power grid. Look."

Tucker followed where she was pointing to the right of the portal doors and groaned. "A generator."

"Inside the shield. We can't touch it."

Crossing his arms, Tucker let out a sigh. "Okay. So, we can't get in and disable Vlad's portal, but at least we know where it is. We can set up tracking devices, ghost alerts, all sorts of stuff. It'll give them a lot less lead time when they try to slip into town." He nodded back up the passageway toward the stairs at the other end. "We'd better get up there before Irving comes poking around. I'll go tell Danny what we found."

They headed back up into the office and Tucker closed the trap door, careful to leave everything exactly as he found it. Valerie, meanwhile, lost her battle suit in that weird swirl of pink light, and was standing in her Nasty Burger uniform once more. "Okay, I'd better get back to the—"

"Wait!" Tucker cut her off. "Do you hear something? I think Irving is coming back!" He moved toward her, ready to take her into his arms for the promised fake-out make-out, but she stopped him with an outstretched arm to his chest.

"I don't hear anything."

"Well I did. Definitely some footsteps in the hall."

With a skeptical look, she stepped away from him and over to the door, which she unlocked and opened, revealing a completely empty hallway, with only the noises of the crew taking orders and grilling up burgers coming from the kitchen. "See? Coast is clear."

Tucker gave her a nervous titter. "Gee, I could've sworn I heard— Well, guess not." Then, he followed her out of the office, cursing Irving "Third Degree" Burns' damnable lack of curiosity.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-four  
**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

"Jack? You up there?"

Jack reeled in the line on the Fenton Ghost Fisher and set it down on his work table in the Op-Center, lining it up with a row of similar fishing rods. Leaning across the table, he pressed a button on an intercom built into the wall to answer his wife. "I'm here, sweetcakes. Just wiring up a few more Fenton Fishers."

"Oh, good. Pam Manson is here. She and Jeremy are a little worried about the ghost shields if Aragon takes out the power in their area, so they were hoping you'd have some of the no-tech weapons ready for them to keep at home."

Jack grinned. "Do I! Been working on a bunch of stuff all morning. Bring her on up, and I'll give you both a demo."

When Maddie ushered Pam Manson through the roof door a few minutes later, Jack wasted no time showing off his handiwork. "Now, normally, I'm all about power. The more juice these babies have, the better I like 'em. But as we saw last night, we can do a lot of damage even when the lights go out. And if we can take on an army of skeleton ghosts with nothing but a bunch of stuff we grabbed from a sporting goods store, imagine what we could do with stuff especially designed for taking out spooks."

With a wave of his arm, he showed them the table he'd just been working at. "Now, here we have your basic grab-and-snag devices. I've got a whole mess of Fenton Ghost Fishers, a few Wraith Wranglers—that's one of Maddie's personal favorites—and some Ghost Nets. All of these use lines or rope coated in a special ecto-plasmic resin that ghosts can't break or phase through."

Maddie directed a fond smile at the Wraith Wrangler, but Pam shook her head. "Jeremy and I don't know the first thing about ropes and fishing. We need something we can shoot."

"Not a problem." He led them to another table. "If you're looking for something with a little more oomph, here we've got your basic crossbows and arrows, swords, axes, nun-chucks and—" He paused, a little dumbfounded by the array of martial arts weapons Maddie had dug up for him, most of which he couldn't even name, let alone use. "The usual kung chi taekwon-judo bad boys." Spotting something a little more familiar, he picked up a baseball bat with the word _Fenton_ stamped on it, stepping back to take a practice swing. "And, of course, the original Fenton Anti-Creep Stick."

Pam frowned. "How is this stuff any different from what we used from the sporting goods store last night?"

"Glad you asked, Pammie. Each of these weapons is coated with another kind of anti-ecto resin, similar to the Fenton Fishers, but with a little more punch. While a regular club might work for smashing skeletons, these babies will do a little more damage to other kinds of ghosts, as well."

She eyed the crossbows stacked against the wall. "Jeremy and I fared pretty well with these last night. Can I take a couple of them, and maybe an ax and some baseball bats?"

"Excellent choice! But let me show you this last table. This is the stuff I'm still tinkering with, but when I get all the kinks worked out, I think they could really make or break a fight." He showed them the table opposite the one with the crossbows and swords and picked up a metallic cylinder. "Now, this is one of my favorite weapons, the Jack o' nine tails. Press this button, and it shoots out nine whips that, depending on the strength of the ghoul you're gunning for, will either capture or destroy it." Aiming the handle across the room away from the women, he thumbed the release, and nine whips hurled out with a whine that made Pam Manson jump.

"That's okay, I think we're good with the crossbows," she said, sounding a little shaky. "And isn't that electrical? I heard a power-up whine and saw some sparks."

Jack set the weapon back down on the table. "Right now it is, yeah, but I'm working on a spring-loaded mechanism that should do the trick. And then there's this." Leaning down, he pulled a canister out from under the table. "The Fenton Foamer. If the shields go down, this little beauty will clean an area of all things ecto. I've replaced the pressure sprayer with a hand pump."

He grabbed the handle to show them, priming it a few times, but after several pumps, nothing happened. "Hm. I thought... Let me try this."

"Jack..." Maddie's voice held a note of warning. "You don't want to over-pressurize—"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I've got this." Readjusting his grip, he threw all his weight on the pump. In the process, the hose slipped out of his hand, and when the pump depressed, green anti-ecto foam shot out through the nozzle. Without anyone holding the hose, it flailed around like an angry snake, showering the Op-Center and its occupants with a coating of green foam.

Jack lunged for the hose and managed to wrestle it under control just as the pressure from the pump was spent. Maddie flashed him her exasperated _what-did-I-tell-you?_ look, which managed to cut through the foam covering her face, while Pam wiped green goo out of her eyes with the back of her hand.

With a sheepish titter, he grinned at his guest. "Um... I guess there are still a few kinks to work out of this one."

She gave him a sour look. "Apparently. I think I'll stick with the crossbows for now. That is, as long as you only coated the arrows with that resin. You didn't do anything to the crossbows themselves, did you?"

"Well, I was gonna modulate the triggering mechanism, but I haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Good. I'll take two. And a towel would be nice."

"Er... one towel, coming up!" Jack sidestepped around the puddle of goo and went to the utility closet where he kept a stack of towels for just such an emergency. Handing them over to the two foam-covered women, he gave another nervous chuckle. "Looks like the crossbows could use a little clean-up, too. I'll get Danny on it." Leaning over to the intercom, he hit the button for the second floor. "Danny, rise and shine! I need you up in the Op-Center, stat. Got a clean-up job for you."

There was a pause before Danny's groaned over the speaker. "Aw, c'mon Dad, really? I was just about to head over to Sam's."

"Sam's grounded." The finality in Pam's voice was impossible to miss.

Maddie nudged Jack out of the way and hit the button for the intercom. "Danny Fenton, you get up here right now. Mrs. Manson is here to pick up some crossbows with the new anti-ecto arrows, and they need to be cleaned up first. And she says Sam is grounded anyway."

"Oh, I know she's grounded," Danny replied, his tone of voice completely transformed from grousing to over-eager. "I wasn't going over to hang out or anything. She said she was allowed to do stuff that helped fight Vlad, so I was just gonna stop by for a second to pick up something—"

"That can wait until the crossbows are clean."

"Sure, Mom. Just let me get dressed, and I'll be right up."

Maddie turned to their guest, apologetic, but Pam spoke first, a quizzical expression on her face—or at least what Jack could see of it through the foam she'd managed to wipe off. "You didn't call him by his full name."

Now it was Maddie's turn to look quizzical. "Excuse me?"

"Your son. You called him 'Danny Fenton' when you were yelling at him just now. I don't think I've ever heard a parent not revert to their child's full name when they're scolding them. When Sam's in trouble, it's 'Samantha Ashley Manson!' But you called him 'Danny Fenton' instead of 'Daniel.'"

Jack shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he started busying himself wiping ecto-foam off one of the crossbows. Behind him, Maddie told Pam, "We don't like to call him that."

"That's what Vlad calls him, isn't it?"

Jack felt his shoulders stiffen, but Maddie's answer was calm. "Yes."

"Is there some sort of significance to that? Sam seems to think so."

"There's significance to everything Vlad does," Jack said, rubbing a towel over the crossbow in his hand as if he needed to power-sand the green residue away.

"It's just his name." There was almost a note of defensiveness in Pam's voice, as if they'd offended her by yet again violating her very narrow definition of _normal_.

Maddie let out a breath. "Nothing is ever that simple with Vlad. There's some.. history between him and Danny—"

Jack threw the crossbow down on the work table and turned to face them. "The history's with _me_. Vlad decided a long time ago that I took something from him, so when he found out my son had powers like his, he thought he could take _him_ from _me_, twist him into some sort of half-ghost mini version of himself. Calling him 'Daniel' is his way of... claiming him." He looked down at the floor, where green foam was beginning to dry into a pasty film. "When I think of the things he's done..."

He swallowed hard to keep from putting his fist through the Op-Center wall. Ever since Danielle had come into their lives and they'd learned who she was and how she came to be... Well, most of the time, Jack lived the lie that she was merely distant family who they were caring for now, because if he thought about it too much, how Vlad had violated his son to create a whole new person, only to toss her aside like a used-up lab rat, leaving Danny to deal with the emotional fallout, the fury and guilt would eat him away from the inside out.

He turned around and resumed cleaning the crossbow. "And I just let it happen." _I convinced myself Vlad was my friend, and I let it all happen. To my son and to an innocent little girl._

"_We_ let it happen," Maddie said gently.

"Let what happen?"

Jack jumped at the sound of Danny's voice from the doorway behind him. "Uh, this mess! Let the hose of the ecto-foamer get away from me again."

Danny stifled a groan as he looked around the Op-Center. "Aw, man, Dad, is _this_ what you want me to clean up? There's ecto-foam everywhere—" He stopped short, his eyes widening when he caught sight of his girlfriend's mother covered in green paste. "Oh, Mrs. Manson, I am _so_ sorry!"

Spying the stack of towels Jack had brought out of the utility closet, Danny lunged for them, pulling a fresh one off the top and rushing to Pam's side with it. "You'll have to excuse my dad, he just gets so enthusiastic about getting these weapons in shape so we can beat Vlad." He shot a death glare in Jack's direction.

Pam took the proffered towel, regarding Danny with an odd look. "It's not like I don't expect to end up covered in something green and sticky when I come over here."

"I'm so sorry," Danny repeated. "Did my mom say you came for crossbows? I'll get those cleaned up for you right away."

Jack wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at how over-eager the boy was to please his girlfriend's mother. He knew how it felt to have the entire family of the woman you love make you feel about as welcome as a swarm of ants at a picnic. But then, Jack had never really cared much what Maddie's parents thought of him, and he pretty much despised her bitter old bat of a sister.

Danny was still young, however, and Sam's parents still had some say over their daughter's life, so Jack could hardly blame the kid for trying so hard. But it wasn't his own mess he had to clean up. It was his father's.

Wincing, Jack clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Here, let me help you with that, son."

Working together, it didn't take long for them to wipe off two crossbows, two quivers of arrows to go with them, and a couple of axes. Pam was just testing out the feel of the crossbow Danny had cleaned when the intercom crackled.

"Dad, Mom? Are you there?" It was Jazz, and she sounded upset.

Jack hit the talkback button. "We're in the Op-Center, princess. What's wrong?"

"I think you'd better come down here."

Maddie leaned over Jack's shoulder. "Jazz, what's wrong? Is it a ghost?"

"Is Danielle sick again?" Danny asked.

"No. It's the Guys in White. They say they're here to shut down the Ghost Portal."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-five**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Danny was the first out the door of the Op-Center and down the stairs into the house, but his parents were right behind him, leaving Mrs. Manson behind to collect her own crossbows. When he rounded the corner of the second floor landing, he could see that the front door was wide open, and he could hear muffled voices, coming from down in the basement. It wasn't until he got into the kitchen that he could make out Jazz arguing with two all-too-familiar male voices.

"You really need to wait for my parents—"

"Not according to the federal government—"

"Since when can the federal government just barge into our house without a warrant?"

Danny gritted his teeth as he barreled toward the basement door. That latter voice was Danielle, the last person in this dimension or any other that Danny wanted anywhere near the Guys in White. But even as fast as he was moving, his mother managed to catch up with him, holding him back with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Your father and I will take care of this."

Holding back only long enough to let his parents pass him, Danny followed on their heels as they descended the stairs into the basement, where two bald men, one with fair skin and the other dark, but otherwise identical in white suits and black sunglasses, were trying to get past Jazz and Dani, who were standing with arms crossed in front of the blast doors closed over the Fenton Portal.

"What's going on here?" Danny's dad demanded.

Danny's mom put a restraining hand on her husband's arm and pasted on a tight smile. "Operatives O. and K. What can we do for you?"

The two men turned toward them in unison, the light-skinned man, Operative O., appraising her through his dark glasses. "By order of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared a state of emergency in Amity Park, giving the U.S. Ecto Security Agency—"

"That would be us," Operative K. interjected.

"—full authority to take whatever steps deemed necessary to halt the invasion of unauthorized spectral entities into our borders. And that means shutting down this Ghost Portal." He glanced over his shoulder back at Danielle. "Without a warrant."

Danny's mom put her hands on her hips, giving the two federal agents what Danny thought of as the you-are-_so_-grounded look. "Since when does FEMA have the authority to declare a state of emergency? Isn't it up to the governor to request federal assistance?"

"And since I spent half the morning on the phone with her, I'm pretty sure she did no such thing." Tucker appeared in the stairwell, his arms crossed, and looking very mayoral. "Sorry to barge in, but your door was wide open, and I heard shouting down here—"

Without taking her eyes off the Guys in White, Maddie smiled. "No problem at all, Mr. Mayor. Please proceed."

Tucker stepped up beside Danny. "The local authorities of Amity Park have a handle on the situation. The town doesn't need or want federal assistance at this time."

Operative K. flashed him a smug grin. "Exigent circumstances,_ Mr. Mayor_. The town was completely overrun by ghosts last night. There was mass hysteria, hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of destruction of private, city, state, and federal property—"

"They attacked our headquarters!"

It was a rare burst of emotion from Operative O., and Danny's eyes widened. "So that's what this is about! You guys don't care about the people of this town. You're just mad that your little corner of the universe wasn't immune."

Tucker shook his head. "I've seen the reports. That old penitentiary that you guys operate wasn't even close to the worst-hit place in town. You seen what they did to the mall? You guys are collateral damage at best."

"_Collateral damage_? We're a highly secure and classified government facility, and they came in and—"

Operative K. stepped in, cutting off his partner with a motion of his hand. "What they did to us is not the point. And _classified_." He shot a look at O. that Danny could tell was withering even through the black glasses. "The point is that we had a massive riot on our hands, and it wasn't the first time, either. Skeletons, knights, dragons, a spectral entity of unknown origin at the mall—"

Danny threw up his arms in disgust. "You idiots are the only ones who don't know his origins! So why don't you leave the ghost fighting to people who actually know what they're doing?"

K. continued as if he hadn't interrupted. "That kind of mass chaos gives the federal government every right to put the city of Amity Park under martial law—"

"Martial law!" Tucker was apoplectic. "Martial law is for open rebellion, and you need Congressional approval for that! We don't even have an ongoing civil unrest problem. The local authorities got rid of the ghosts in just a few hours last night!"

"Article Four, Subsection Seven-B of the Anti-Ecto Code grants FEMA—which, I might note, is under the Department of Homeland Security, same as the Ecto Security Agency—authority to declare a state of emergency in the case of invasion of unauthorized spectral entities into our borders, granting us absolute power to take whatever steps necessary to halt said invasion."

"_What_ invasion?" Danny demanded. "The ghosts are gone!"

"And we're here to make sure they don't come back." Operative O., having regained his composure, turned to Danny's dad. "Lock down your portal, Fenton, and keep her locked or you and everyone in this house will be placed under federal custody."

Danny saw his parents exchange glances, his mother's eyes flicking towards him. With a tight jaw, his dad shrugged. "Fine. Locking down the portal." He placed his thumb on a control panel, activating the genetic lock on the ghost portal. Three steel bolts slid into place across the black-and-yellow striped blast doors behind Jazz and Danielle.

"Smart choice." Operative O. gave a brief nod of his head as he and his partner pushed passed them head toward the stairs.

"Have a nice day," Operative K. added, and Danny had to resist the urge to blast them with ectoplasm, or maybe freeze them in place with his ice powers.

Tucker was less restrained. "This isn't over! You'll be hearing from the city's attorneys!"

When the government agents were gone, Danny turned to his father. "What are we supposed to do now? Without our portal—"

Tucker held up a hand to stop him. With his other hand, he took out his PDA, punching a few keys with his thumb. After about thirty seconds, he nodded and put his handheld away. "Just wanted to make sure they didn't bug the place while they were here. You're clean, though."

Danny resumed questioning his dad. "Without the Fenton Portal, how are we supposed to help the ghosts in the Far Frozen, and how are we supposed to get help from them here?"

His dad moved over to a workbench along the wall and picked up a small, metal box. "With this." He flicked a switch on the box with his thumb, and a light flashed behind him. When it dimmed, a swirling, green ghost portal was hanging in the air over his shoulder.

Danny's eyes widened. "The Porta-Portal? It's working?"

Jack flicked the switch again, and the portal disappeared. "I still need to tweak both remotes I've been working on, get this one to open into the Far Frozen instead of some random place in the Ghost Zone and the other one to open up here in the lab when used from inside the Ghost Zone. But yeah, they're working."

Danny let out a long sigh. "Well, that's a relief. I don't know what we'd do if we couldn't get back and forth to the Ghost Zone while Vlad's goons can come and go as they please."

"That might be a little harder for them now." Tucker was grinning at him. "That's why I came over here in the first place, Danny. Val and I found Vlad's portal."

* * *

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Danny stared at the small lab and gigantic ghost portal that lay just beyond reach under the parking lot of the Nasty Burger. Shrugging off his backpack and twisting his neck to relieve that crick that had developed, he turned to Tucker and Valerie. "Under the Nasty Burger the whole time. How did we miss this?"

Tucker shrugged. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? We repressed the memory of Vlad ever having anything to do with this place."

A voice came through Tucker's PDA. "Hold me up a little higher, Tucker. All I can see is floor."

"Sorry, Sam." Tucker raised his arm with his handheld a little higher, angling it toward the open chamber door. Although they'd somehow managed to talk Mrs. Manson into giving them a lift back to her place on her way home with the weapons Danny's dad had given her, they'd failed to convince her to let Sam come with them to the Nasty Burger to check out the portal in person. No matter how Vlad-related their goal, she couldn't be persuaded that a trip to the Nasty Burger wouldn't end up a social excursion.

Sam whistled through the handheld. "Look at the size of that thing! No wonder so many skeletons were able to attack at once last night. You could get an army through that sucker pretty quickly. But at least we know how they're getting into the human world."

Valerie knocked on what looked like empty air in the doorway to the lab. Blue sparks crackled around her fist. "Yeah, but it's shielded, so we can't get in there and shut it down. Works against humans, ghosts, and anything solid. I even tried tossing a rock in there, and that didn't work, either, so we can't just throw in a grenade to blow it up or anything. And it's impervious to every weapon I've got. Looks like it can only be shut down from the inside."

Danny looked at Tucker. "You can't get in there remotely, shut it down some way?"

"Nope. It's completely isolated. Off the power grid, run by a generator that's attached to the control panel, and all of it's inside the shield, which also runs off the generator. And if this system's set up anything like your dad's, all the computer hardware is inside the control panel and the portal itself. No reason for that to have any link to the outside world, so no way to hack it from the outside. Far as I can tell, the only way to take down the shield or portal is to get inside, and the only way to get inside is to take down the shield. So there's our catch-twenty-two."

"What about from the Ghost Zone side?" Sam asked. "Can't we get in through the portal itself?"

Shaking his head, Danny looked at Sam's image on Tucker's PDA. "We don't know where in the Ghost Zone this thing comes out. The ghosts have been hunting for it since Vlad came back, and no one's found any sign of it."

Sam sighed. "Can we trace it through this end somehow?"

"Not without going through it, as far as I know, but I'll ask Frostbite the next time we see him." Danny turned his attention from the device in Tucker's hand to Tucker himself. "If we can't shut it down, can we at least get some surveillance up on it?"

"Definitely. I can probably even get APPD to do a stakeout if you want."

Danny chewed his lip, considering. "I think we should keep APPD out of it for now. Word could leak back to the feds, and they'd go overboard and raze the place, or they'd just accuse my dad of having something to do with it and arrest him or something. We need to set up something so Vlad doesn't know we're watching. I guess that'll have to do for now."

Tucker frowned. "Dude, we just found the Holy Grail, and you sound like we stole your lunch money."

He let out a long huff of air. "I'm sorry, guys. You finding this is huge, it really is. But I'm sick of all the one step forward, two steps back garbage. And now we've got the Guys in White breathing down our necks making everything ten times harder than it needs to be."

"Don't worry about the Guys in White. Next on my list is a long talk with the city attorneys."

"And that's great, too, but in the meantime we've got a dragon that can kill all our tech, making all those great ice weapons my dad came up with useless. We're only a little tiny bit closer to figuring out what's keeping Vlad's ectoranium powers juiced up and how we can shut him down for good without killing his human half. He's made off with a gazillion sapphires that he's been collecting for twenty years under a name connected to yet another creepy fantasy about my mom and that may or may not be part of some sort of super weapon that could be how he's planning to take out the last refuge in the Ghost Zone and maybe Amity Park and the rest of the human world, too, for all we know. And now, even though you guys found his passage between the two dimensions, we can't do a single thing to actually stop him from using it. It's like seeing the Holy Grail right there in front of you, but you can't actually _drink_ from it, you know?"

"Maybe we can."

Danny turned a hopeful eye to Valerie. "You have an idea, Val?"

"Maybe. The next time any of Vlad's flunkies come through here, they have to take the shield down to get out and terrorize the town, right? Once the shield is open, that's our in."

Sam's voice came through Tucker's handheld. "Will the shield be open long enough? Unless we have someone camped out here twenty-four/seven, when they triggered our surveillance, we'd have to get someone down here and inside before they close the shield again, all without being seen."

A cocky grin lit up Tucker's face. "I think we can make it happen. If we use Mr. Gray's lab down at Axion, I'm sure we could whip up some kind of miniature robotic drone that can slip in automatically as soon as the shield goes down. Once it's inside, we can control it by remote to take out the generator."

"Really?" Danny felt just a little bit more of the pressure on his chest ease. "How long would it take to build something like that?"

"If Mr. Gray helps and we can work on it at Axiom, we could probably have a working drone by tonight. Might take a little longer to program it so that the shield going down triggers it automatically. Tomorrow afternoon, maybe."

"Now we're talking. You and Val get with her dad and get on that. If we can cut off their access to Amity Park and figure out what Vlad's plan is with those sapphires to keep him out of the Far Frozen, we might just have enough to keep him from gaining any more ground in this war. And that'll buy my mom a little more time to figure out how to take him out for good."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-six**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Chewing on the end of a pen, Maddie she read over the latest spectrocity readings from several of the full skeleton warriors they'd captured at the mall last night.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the yellow-and-black striped doorway to the Fenton Portal with the three steel bolts slid in place across it and had to push down the knot of anger that rose up in her throat. With a slight turn, the Portal was out of her peripheral vision and she could concentrate more fully on the report in front of her instead of fuming over the Gestapo-like invasion of her home.

Again.

But unlike the first few times they'd done this, she now knew what was at risk every time those ghost-hating government agents got too close. And that risk had doubled, now that they were harboring not one, but _two_ "unauthorized spectral entities"...

_Let's dissect the ghost! _

_We can't completely vaporize it. Don't you want to at least examine the remains? _

_Once a filthy ghost, always a filthy ghost!_

_Spectrocity readings, Maddie. You aren't that person anymore, and Tucker and the city attorneys will handle the Guys in White._

Spectrocity readings. They were conclusive. Whatever was causing the skeleton warriors to reactivate the ectoranium samples, it wasn't intrinsic to them. Long-term exposure to some environmental agent was the cause.

But what environment? The chemical composition showed signs of the same kinds of elements that made up the ectoplasm-charged atmosphere of the Ghost Zone, but there were large quantities of elements she couldn't identify. It was almost as if there was another dimension within the Ghost Zone.

Was that possible? Frostbite often called the Ghost Zone the "Infinite Realms," but different realms didn't necessarily mean whole different _dimensions_.

There were all those random purple doors, though. Where did they lead? Some back to the human world, some to other realms in the Ghost Zone. Could one of those doors lead to another dimension within a dimension? And if there was such a dimension within the Ghost Zone, what did it have to do with the skeleton ghosts? According to the pages Sam had copied from that book, the skeleton warriors came from Pariah's Keep, which was just a regular section of the Ghost Zone.

But was there more to them than that? Something niggled at her, and she reached into her work cabinet and pulled out the binder where she'd put the photocopied pages from _The Legend of Pariah Dark._ Didn't she read something about the Fright Knight commanding a legion of skeleton warriors back in the days of Pariah Dark? She flipped through the pages, searching for the passage.

A sharp trill pierced the air, and Maddie jumped. Their home/business phone ringing. Shaking her head at being so easily startled, Maddie picked up the handset off the charger on her workbench and thumbed the power button. "FentonWorks."

"Maddie? It's Angela Foley."

"Oh, hello, Angela. What can I do for you? You looking to stock up on the no-tech weapons Jack's been working on, or is this a social call?"

"Neither. We got an anonymous call on the hotline reporting a ghost sighting in a house not too far from you. You know that older neighborhood at the other end of Maple Street?"

Maddie raised her eyebrows. "A hotline call?" They'd set up that hotline in the early days of the raids, before they'd been able to get Ghost Alert sensors installed across town. The Foleys had volunteered to field the calls along with other monitoring duties. The line had fallen out of use, however, since the Ghost Alert went active, as the alarm usually warned the town about the presence of ghosts long before anyone sighted any.

"If someone spotted ghosts, why didn't the Alert sound? Was it only one or two ghosts, too few to trigger the alarm?"

"We wondered that, too. Thought maybe it was one of our allies or possibly even Danny himself—people can be kind of jumpy these days. So Maurice and I took a spectral scanner down there to check it out. We're about two blocks away right now, and it's definitely not just one or two ghosts. We're getting a pretty big reading, consistent with the skeleton warriors. Maybe a couple dozen of them. Maurice went up the block to see if he could get a more accurate reading."

Maddie frowned. "Skeleton warriors? If there were more than ten, they should have triggered the Ghost Alert. Why didn't they?"

"We were thinking a couple of possibilities. It's... it's almost like they've set up some kind of base there. Maybe a few of them stayed after the raid last night? Or maybe they've been there all along. Maddie, what if that portal Danny's so keen on finding is in that house somewhere?"

"If there's a portal there, that's really bad news, because that means Vlad has more than one. Tucker found one earlier today under the Nasty Burger. Danny went and checked it out this afternoon. It's shielded, so we can't get in or shut it down, but it almost certainly was built by Vlad."

"Tucker found the portal?" There was a pause. "Oh."

Maddie knew that _oh_. It was the _oh_ of a mother who didn't know what else to say because she was the last to know something about her own child.

Maddie knew that _oh_ well.

Wincing in sympathy, she tried to explain why she would know that Tucker had made such an important find when his own mother did not. "I think he said he went there for lunch and something reminded him that Vlad owned the Nasty Burger for a short time, so he and Valerie did some snooping around and found it. Of course he knew Danny would want to know right away, so he came straight here."

"Of course."

Maddie tried again. "Tucker must be awfully busy now that he's mayor. He not home much?"

"Well, no, but not just since he was mayor. You know him and Danny and Sam, the Three Musketeers, always running off somewhere together. I always figured they were hanging out complaining about school and their parents. Never dreamed they were being like _actual_ musketeers, protecting the town and fighting off invaders. And now that I know... I guess I thought I'd hear more about what's going on, but..." She trailed off.

Maddie sighed. "You're not alone, Angela. Things are a little better now, though. I do have a general sense of what's going on in his life much more than I did before. But let's face it—they're teenagers. We're the last people they're going to share anything with."

"Do you ever wonder if we're doing the right thing, letting them take on so much responsibility? I mean, if I'd have honestly thought for a second Tucker's harebrained scheme to get appointed mayor had a shot at actually working, I think I might've nipped it in the bud."

Maddie thought of Danny and the dark circles under his eyes from too many sleepless nights worrying about Vlad and the war in the Ghost Zone. Or how he sometimes almost looked stooped from the weight he carried on his shoulders. How Danielle's... illness, for lack of a better word, very nearly broke him in a way nothing, not any horrible experience Vlad or any other ghost had ever put him through in the nearly three years since his accident—some of which he still was probably keeping from her and Jack—ever had.

_Yes, Angela. I wonder that all the time. It's what gives _me_ sleepless nights._

But that wasn't the answer she gave. "Well, they're almost seventeen. In a year, they'll be graduating high school and going off to college, and we'll have even less influence on them than we do now."

"Until they need money."

Maddie laughed. "That's true. I guess they'll always need us in _some_ way." In truth, it was a comforting thought. "But I guess what it comes down to for me is that I'd rather my kids learn how to take on the really big stuff while I still have enough influence and even veto power to guide them through it than to try and fight all their fights for them or shield them from everything until they're gone without ever having learned how to fend for themselves." She sighed. "At least that's what I tell myself every single time I let Danny go off into the Ghost Zone instead of locking him in his room like I want to."

Angela was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Tucker's always chosen the battles he's taken on. Being mayor, fighting ghosts, all of it. That's what's hard sometimes, knowing I've got that veto power and never being sure when I should use it and when I have to let him decide for himself. But I know Danny hasn't always had that luxury."

_And whose fault is that?_ "Maybe he would have if I'd erred a little more on the protective side, kept him away from that portal." _Away from Vlad._

_Why didn't I keep him away from Vlad?_

"Maybe," Angela said. "And maybe he would've never gotten the chance to live up to his full potential. Tucker either, for that matter." She paused. "And, of course, all of that would be moot anyway because we'd all be asteroid dust."

"Well, there's that." Maddie couldn't help but smile. She'd started out encouraging Angela, and now Angela was encouraging her. "But I thought you weren't sure letting Tucker do all that was the right thing."

"I'm not. Probably never will be. But at the end of the day, I'm pretty damn proud of him. Mayor at _sixteen_. Imagine what he can do when he's old enough to be president."

"Or find a loophole in the age requirements."

"If there is one, he probably will find it." She chuckled. "Oh, wait. Maurice is coming back." Maddie could hear her carrying on a short discussion with her husband before she came back on the line. "Definitely skeleton ghosts. Maurice saw two of them going into the house. I think you're gonna wanna get someone a little more battle-ready down here. Nine-seventeen Maple Street."

Maddie frowned. "Nine-seventeen Maple Street?" Maple Street was the cross street that their corner lot butted up against, but that address was several blocks away, where the neighborhoods were a little more suburban and the lots much larger. It wasn't the fact that her house was along the same street that bothered her, however. "Why does that address sound familiar?"

"It's the old Townsend place. You know, that run-down, abandoned house the school district uses for those Halloween party fundraisers the faculty puts on every year? And according to your scanner, this location has been tagged before, nearly three years ago. Also on Halloween."

Maddie's eyes widened. "Of course! I remember, now. Danny was helping Mr. Lancer with some sort of haunted house, and a huge ecto-storm—" She stopped short, sucking in her breath. "An ecto-storm. That's it!"

"What's it? Isn't that what Danny was talking about the other night, one of the things the Fright Knight's sword could do?"

"He did say that, didn't he?" Maddie slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Why didn't I put two and two together then? That could be exactly the kind of thing that would keep Vlad's ectoranium powered up! And if the Fright Knight's sword can create them, it all fits. Angela, are you getting any other spectral energy readings besides the skeletons themselves?"

"Just what would be normal for a bunch of ghosts. Nothing that looks like a storm."

"But there was one there three years ago, the skeletons are there now, and the Fright Knight can create the storms. There must be a connection." And Danny would know what it is. "You and Maurice get out of there. We'll take care of this."

"Will do. Be careful."

"You, too." Maddie thumbed the power button and set the receiver down on the counter before hurrying towards the stairs. "Danny? Are you home? I need to talk to you!"

"In the kitchen, Mom!"

She emerged from the basement stairwell to find Danny sitting at the kitchen table snacking on lime and vinegar chips while poring over something on his laptop. Looking up at her over the back of the screen, he gave a tired sigh. "Sam is so much more cut out for research than I am. If I have to read one more website about purple sapphires, my eyes are going to bleed. And don't even get me started on how every website out there contradicts every other website. I have no idea how she figures out what's true and what isn't."

"Forget whatever you're researching. I have something more important we need to look into. You remember that haunted house you helped Mr. Lancer with for Halloween a few years ago?"

"How could I forget? That's the first time I met the Fright Knight. Why?"

"The Fright Knight was there?" Even more suspicious. "Do you remember an ecto-storm that flared up around that house that night? Did the Fright Knight cause it?"

He winced, almost looking guilty. "Uh... not exactly..."

"Danny, this is important. According to the tests I've run, whatever effect the skeleton warriors have on ectoranium is because they themselves have had a lot of exposure to whatever energy is the power source. An ecto-storm could be just that kind of energy. And I just got a call from Mrs. Foley saying there are skeleton warriors at that very same house, nine-seventeen Maple Street, right now."

"Skeleton warriors? Why didn't they set off the Ghost Alert?"

"I don't know, but there's got to be a connection between them and the ecto-storm and the Fright Knight."

"It was his sword, but I was the one who caused it. I... sorta stole it from Pariah's Keep that night and woke him up. When I stuck it in the floor at that house, that's what created the storm."

"The Fright Knight's sword creates the storms, and he commands the skeleton warriors, so it makes sense that they'd be reeking of that energy. And that house could be, too. Danny, go find your father. We need to get out to that house right away."

* * *

_**917 Maple Street  
Amity Park**_

Vlad hated this house. It was similar enough to his former mansion in Polter Heights—save for the fact that it was ancient and dilapidated—to make him miss what he'd once had here in the Human World. But if it served its purpose...

The two skeleton warriors who stood together in the doorway to the old study he was currently occupying stepped away from each other and the door, allowing a lanky, long-haired figure to enter the room between them. He bowed his head—a bit too perfunctory for Vlad, but he let it slide—as he stopped before the chair where Vlad was seated.

"You have a report, Aragon?"

The former prince nodded. "I made the telephone call, as you ordered." His lipped curled on the word _telephone_ as if it were some profane thing he'd sullied his hands touching. "Two of the humans are outside now."

"Which two humans?"

"Ones of no consequence. But I overheard the woman call the Ghost Boy's mother."

A smile curled on Vlad's lips. "Did she make the connection?"

"Yes, my lord, exactly as you predicted."

"Then we'll be having visitors soon. You know what to do, Aragon."

"Yes, my lord."

He turned to one of the skeleton warriors at the door. "Summon the Fright Knight. I believe I feel a storm front moving in."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-seven**

_**917 Maple Street  
Amity Park**_

Maddie stared up at the large, ramshackle old house that sat on top of a hill on the northern end of Maple Street about a mile from FentonWorks. It was dusk, dark enough that the streetlights had come on and the windows of most of the houses they passed on the way were lit up, so she'd expected to see some lights or a green glow or something from this house, but it was completely dark. "It looks deserted. Are we sure Angela and Maurice were reading the scanners right?"

Danny, already in ghost form, grimaced. "According to my Ghost Sense, they were."

Maddie began fiddling with the dials on the device she had slung over her shoulder, trying to properly calibrate it. "I wish your father had come with us."

"You know Dad when he's working on his inventions. Between getting the Porta-Portals calibrated and getting more of those no-tech weapons working, he might never leave the Op-Center."

"I know all that's important, but so is this, and it wouldn't kill him to take a break for half an hour. Sure would be easier if I had help collecting energy samples while you look around for—what was it you think Vlad might be hiding here again?"

"A stash of gems he stole from the mall last night. Sam was doing some research on them, and we think he used to own that jewelry store chain. He may have been collecting those stones for a long time, and I want to know what he's going to do with them." He looked down at the device she was calibrating and wrinkled his nose. "Really, Mom? The Ghost Weasel? That thing's not exactly reliable, and it's definitely not quiet."

Maddie eyed the pack on his back. "You look like you've got a whole armory in that backpack. That doesn't scream 'stealth' to me, either."

"This is mostly for defense, not offense. Just in case. If we were gonna go full-frontal assault, I'd have called in Valerie and the rest of the gang. Taking out a couple dozen skeletons who aren't attacking anyone isn't going to help us get any closer to Vlad. If I'm gonna find out what he wants with those jewels and you're gonna get those energy readings you want, we've gotta stay off their radar. Which will be kind of hard to do with something about as quiet as your average vacuum cleaner."

Maddie smiled. "I made some modifications. Your father designed this to collect ambient ghost energy and shoot it back into the Ghost Zone. Well, I want to store the energy, not remove it, so the motors aren't necessary. I just need some of that ambient energy from the house so I can bring it back to the lab and compare it to the spectrocity readings of the skeleton ghosts and to what we know of ecto-storms—"

"Okay, Mom, I get it. I don't need all the science behind it. As long as it's quiet."

"As a mouse." She turned it on to demonstrate. It made a sort of soft whirring sound, like a small fan. Not completely silent, but something that wasn't likely to be noticed. "You worry about getting us in without being seen, and I'll take care of getting the energy samples we need without them ever knowing we were there."

Danny smiled before disappearing from sight. "Not being seen is my specialty." Then, Maddie felt a hand on her right arm. A slight shiver passed over her from that point, almost like she'd stuck her arm in a cold tub of Jell-O, and she disappeared, too.

A moment later, she felt another shiver, this one more like the sensation of an elevator making an unexpected and very fast descent under her feet, and then the ground really did drop from beneath her. Or, rather, she was rising up into the air. Danny was flying them toward the house.

As they flew out over the gate to the overgrown weeds of the house's front yard, a thought occurred to her. "Can't ghosts sense each other, even if you're invisible? Won't they know you're here?"

"Depends. Most ghosts have some kind of Ghost Sense, but if you're already around a lot of other ghosts, you're not gonna notice one more coming in. Some of us can sort of, I don't know, 'see' other invisible ghosts. But the skeleton drones aren't that bright. I think we'll be fine."

Behind them, a sharp whinny pierced the air. Their forward motion abruptly stopped, and Maddie could feel Danny swing them around until they could see a huge, black horse thundering toward them through the sky. On its back, in full black armor complete with flaming purple plumage and cape...

The Fright Knight.

Danny sucked in a breath. "Or we could be totally screwed."

Maddie felt a mix of elation and trepidation. "No, Danny, this is even better! That sword is the key to everything! If that's how the ecto-storms are created, and the ecto-storms are the key to Vlad's powers..."

"Oh, sure, no problem. We'll just take the Fright Knight's sword from him. I'm sure he won't notice—"

"Ghost Child!" The Fright Knight's horse landed in the yard below them, scorching some of the weeds with its green-flamed hooves, the Fright Knight on his back, holding his sword aloft. "Did you think your puerile invisibility would allow you to sneak past me?"

Danny whispered in her ear as he lowered them to the ground. "Tell me you're packing, Mom. How fast can you arm up?"

"I'm good to go." She felt Danny's hand release its grip on her arm, and they were both visible again. Throwing aside the Fenton Weasel, Maddie pulled a Fenton Blaster out of her hip pack.

The Fright Knight charged, and they dove aside, Maddie to the left and Danny to the right. Maddie tucked into a roll, coming up on her knees with her blaster aimed, and she fired at the Fright Knight just as Danny shot down from above with his ghost ray. Rather than aiming for the Fright Knight, he shot low and knocked the horse out right from under him. It fell back on its haunches, sliding a good twenty yards across the lawn while the Fright Knight went tumbling in the other direction.

He was up in an instant, however, and went after Danny, swinging his sword high. Danny tried to knock it out of his hand with another blast of ectoplasm. When that failed to dislodge the Fright Knight's grip, he feinted right, then dove left, making a try for the swords handle. This caught the Fright Knight off guard, and Danny was able to get a grip on the hilt just above the ghost's armored hand, but his advantage didn't last long. Two quick, wide sweeps with the blade, and the Fright Knight was able to shake him free.

While Danny had him distracted, Maddie took aim with her blaster again, but before she could get off a shot, she felt the air heat up around her as blue flame blazed through the weeds. Behind the flames, a giant black dragon swooped down.

Maddie rolled again to get out of its way, and this time when she came up, she saw the dragon flying towards Danny and the Fright Knight. "Danny! Aragon incoming!" She fired at the dragon, but her ray was no match for his thick hide and did little more than annoy him.

Wheeling around, he made a whipping motion with his spiked tail. Maddie's muscles tensed as she prepared to leap out of his way, but in an instant she saw that the tail wasn't aiming for her. "_Danny!_"

Like an arm sweeping clutter off a desk, the thick, black tail slammed into Danny and the Fright Knight, who were still grappling over the sword. Knight, boy, and sword all went flying in three different directions, with Danny getting hurled over the short wall that separated the yard from the sidewalk, and landing face-first on the street.

Maddie cried his name again as she ran towards him, leaping over the wall without breaking her stride to come to her son's side.

He was already getting to his feet. "I'm fine, Mom. We've gotta get that amulet off Aragon and turn him—" He stopped mid-sentence, a puzzled expression on his face. "—humanoid?"

Maddie turned to see what her son was gaping at just in time to catch Aragon finishing the transformation from his dragon form into the blue-skinned, hook-nosed prince. Kneeling down, he reached for something in the weeds.

"What's he doing?" Danny blinked. "The Soul Shredder?"

Aragon picked up the Fright Knight's sword. Maddie thought maybe he intended to return it to the Fright Knight, or perhaps attack them with it, but instead, he raised it high over his head with two hands, then plunged it, blade first, down into the ground. "By the authority vested in me by my—" He paused for a hairsbreadth of a moment. "—lord and liege, I claim this town now and forever under the banner of Vlad Plasmius, the Master of All Dimensions!"

Danny hissed out an angry breath. "Oh, _crud_. We've gotta get that sword before he... whatever Sam called it. Says the magic words." He flew at Aragon, but before he made it more than two feet, a powerful blast of green light, like a glowing, green funnel cloud, shot out from the hilt of the sword up into the sky, knocking all of them, including the Fright Knight, backwards away from the sword as if it had exploded.

This time, Danny and Maddie both ended up sprawling in the street. Maddie scrambled to her feet and looked up at the green light that spread out from the funnel cloud like a ghost shield, illuminating the night sky. "An ecto-storm!"

"It's gonna be way worse than just an ecto-storm if we don't get that sword!" Danny made another try for it, but the wind was too great, and he couldn't get any closer, forcing the two of them to take shelter behind the wall to keep from being blown out into the street again.

Up near the house, the Fright Knight got to his feet, roaring in rage. "ARAGON! HOW DARE YOU TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!" With his armor weighing him down, he seemed a little sturdier under the force of the wind and was able to take a few steps toward the sword, but wasn't making much progress.

Only Aragon seemed unaffected by the storm, and he stood triumphant over the half-buried blade, then shouted out loud enough to be heard over the din.

"_Through sword procured and master's rage,  
I return this land to bygone age  
Time, halt your march, progress unravel  
Save for the way the revenant travel.  
With but one purpose he wields the knife  
Caina waits him who quenched this life  
What once was taken—and mode still offends—  
The master takes back his due in the end._"

Danny slammed his fist into the wall. "No, no, no, no, no! We're too late! _Ow_!" He shook out his crushed knuckles.

The Fright Knight, no less unhappy, howled again, but Maddie frowned, focused on the strange rhyme. _ Caina waits... mode offends... _She knew those words. "Danny, what's Aragon doing? Does that poem mean something?"

"It's some kind of spell. Sam read about it in that book. It claims Amity Park for Vlad, sealing that dome around the town and setting the terms."

So, the words chosen were important. Reaching into her hip pack, she pulled out a small notepad and pen she always carried with her for jotting down findings or observations and, being careful to hold it in the shelter of the wall so it wouldn't blow away, she began scribbling down the words Aragon had recited. As she got to the last few lines, verses long forgotten came back to her, and a nauseous dread settled into the pit of her stomach. "Danny, I know these words."

"Good. We've gotta remember exactly what he said so we can figure out what the terms are. I don't want to screw up like last time."

She tore the page out of the notepad and handed it to him. His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? You remembered the whole thing?"

"You don't get doctorates in both parabiology and chemistry without learning how to memorize stuff pretty quickly."

"Cool." Danny gripped the paper tightly and read it aloud. "_Through sword procured and master's rage / I return this land to bygone age / Time, halt your march, progress unravel—_" Danny's eyes widened. "Time halt your march. Oh, no..."

Still standing beside the sword, Aragon turned back into dragon form. Then, he bent over and breathed on the sword, not blue flame, but that noxious, green smoke he used to shut down all their technology. Only, instead of spreading the way smoke usually does, it traveled straight into the ecto-storm, turning it from bright green to a murkier, cloudier green, which traveled up the funnel cloud and spread out across the dome.

One by one, streetlights lining Maple Street behind them winked out. Maddie heard a high-pitched whine from her blaster as it cycled off. A car three blocks down the road sputtered and died, its lights shutting off. Everywhere around them, they could see and hear signs of the blackout spread across the city.

* * *

_**Maple Street  
Amity Park**_

"Was that the Fright Knight?"

Angela Foley leaned forward to look out the windshield in the direction her husband was pointing. "I don't see—" And then she did see him, black armor, flaming purple plumage, riding his monstrous black horse. "Oh, my. Yes, that is definitely the Fright Knight. And he looks like he's headed right toward the house where Maddie and Danny are."

They'd waited in their car down the street from the house on Maple, keeping an eye on it until Maddie and Danny had arrived. They were the experts, best to let them handle it and go home like Maddie had suggested. But that was before the Fright Knight appeared.

Maurice braked the car and looked at her. "Do you think we should go back?"

"We should call for help. Jack didn't come with them. Maybe he's still at home?" She reached for her cellphone, but it wasn't in her purse. "Where's my phone? I know I had it, I called Maddie on it."

"Did it fall out of your purse? Check under the seat."

Angela reached down and felt around under her seat. She found a balled up tissue, an empty soda cup and three burger wrappers from Nasty Burger—Tucker obviously hadn't cleaned up the last time he used the car—and an old Commodores CD that went missing sometime in the nineties, but no phone. "It's not here, Maurice."

"Here, use mine." He started to dig his cell out of his back pocket, but then Angela spied her own phone.

"Oh, there it is. I threw it in the backseat with the ecto-scanner." Reaching back, she grabbed the phone and started to dial the number for FentonWorks, but her fingers froze as a loud roar, like a tornado passing overhead, startled her. Looking over her shoulder through the rear window, she saw a massive, green, glowing funnel cloud sprout up from the direction of the house they'd just left. It spread out overhead, filling the sky like a giant, green—

_Dome._

"Maurice..."

"That looks like the Ghost King's dome. We'd better get over there. They're gonna need help faster than Jack can get here."

Angela finished dialing and put the phone to her ear as Maurice did a K-turn and started heading back up the street. Ahead, they could see the funnel cloud and the dome, which started to turn a darker, almost cloudy shade of green.

And then, the streetlights started winking out.

"FentonWorks."

"Jazz? Angela Foley. Is your father there? I think he'd better—"

With a sudden lurch, the car sputtered and died. Everything from the engine to the headlights to the radio shut down and they were sitting in the dark.

"—get down to nine-seventeen Maple Street right away. Maddie and Danny are in trouble."

There was no response.

Pulling the phone away from her ear, she saw that it was completely black. She tried a few buttons, but nothing. "The phone's dead, too. I don't think she got any of that."

Maurice drummed nervous fingers on the steering wheel. "That dragon again?"

"Must be. Except—" She looked around her. Darkness as far as she could see, other than the glowing green dome overhead. "This looks a lot more widespread than those other times. Didn't that clock ghost say that his range is limited?"

Letting out a long breath, Maurice turned to her. "What do you wanna do?"

"They'll need backup and I can't call for any."

"We're not really fighters."

"I think we are today."

Maurice nodded. "I've got my golf clubs in the trunk. Looks like we just became the cavalry."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-eight**

_**917 Maple Street  
Amity Park**_

As the power died, the wind began to die as well, and Maddie was able to raise her head over the wall in time to see the Fright Knight lunge for his sword and pull it from the ground.

Above him, the black dragon shrugged. "Take it. I have no further use for it."

"I do not suffer betrayal lightly, Aragon!"

The dragon laughed. "Betrayal? Whom have I betrayed? I owe no allegiance to you! I suggest you take it up with _Master_ Plasmius if you have a problem with his plan!"

"_His_ plan?"

"Of course his plan! He wanted the town defenseless so he can take it as he chooses. Who else could accomplish that but me? These humans, so weak and frail in their reliance on technology."

Even through his helmet, Maddie could feel the Fright Knight's fury coming off him in waves. With a shrill whistle, he called his horse to him. She came, snorting in what Maddie would have sworn was a rage equal to her master's, but he simply mounted her and the two of them disappeared in a swirl of ghostly purple light.

Aragon laughed again and looked down at her and Danny. "You have five hours to surrender or the skeleton army will sweep through this town and destroy everything in it. Everyone who does not bow to Vlad Plasmius, Master of All Dimensions, and his Grand Vizier, Prince Aragon, will be eradicated." Then he, too, was gone, this time in blue flame.

Beside Maddie, Danny swallowed. "This is bad. This is really, really bad. It isn't like in the mall or City Hall. It's not just his own limited range. It's the terms of capturing the _whole town_. Amity Park's completely without power, without technology of _any_ kind." He ran his hand through his hair, pulling it back from his forehead in helpless frustration. "God, I hope Tucker was right about Technus's lightning rod, 'cause if the hospital's generator isn't running, a lot of people's life support just..." He closed his eyes. "No lights, no cars, no weapons, no cell phones, no—"

And then, even with the eerie green glow of the smoky dome above them the only illumination, she could see him blanche as his eyes flew open again. "No ghost shields. _Anywhere_. Not even at FentonWorks." He looked back at the verses Maddie had written. "'_The master takes back his due in the end...'_ He's going after Dani!"

Reaching back to shove the note into a side pocket on his backpack, he turned to fly off, but Maddie put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Wait, Danny! Something's not right. That poem—"

"Mom, I don't have time for riddles! He's been threatening to come after 'what's his' ever since we rescued Dani, and no way he's gonna wait five hours. I've got to get home, get her someplace safe."

"No, Danny, you have to listen to me. This isn't just about the electricity or the weapons or the shield or taking over the town or even Dani. It's about the _sword_. '_With but one purpose he wields the knife / Caina waits him who quenched this life.' _I know what that means!"

"Later, Mom. I have to protect Dani first. I failed her before. I won't do it again."

"Danny, I am your mother! You have to listen to me! The sword is the key! We have to—" But before she could finish or stop him, he was gone, shooting off in the sky towards home, and she was alone.

* * *

Sweeping aside the two skeleton warriors guarding the door as if they were Halloween decorations made of plastic, the Fright Knight kicked open the door to the old house's study. As he knew he would, he found Vlad, in human form, sitting in the ancient and rotting velvet-upholstered chair, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to smoke a pipe and read some Dickens or Lord Byron. A single oil lamp on the table beside him illuminated the room.

Maddeningly unruffled, he folded his hands in his lap and smiled. "How did it go? Are all my pawns in place?"

"I AM NOT YOUR PAWN!" The Fright Knight pulled out his sword and brandished it in front of him.

Vlad didn't so much as flinch. "Of course you're not. You're my knight." His eyes darkened. "That still means you move as _I_ tell you."

"I am the master of the Soul Shredder! If you wanted me to claim this town for you, I would have done so, but _no one_ takes my sword from me! Least of all that pathetic, sniveling milksop who can't even keep his own sister in line, let alone an entire kingdom!"

"But he has his uses. Stripping Amity Park of the technology it relies on is a tactical advantage."

"No one wields my sword but me!"

"What's all this 'me, my, mine?' There's no 'me' in team." Vlad frowned. "Well, actually there is, if you rearrange the letters. But _I'm_ the only 'me' in _this_ team. And as it so happens, I have need of your sword right now." He held out his hand as if he'd asked to pass him a butter knife.

The Fright Knight gripped the hilt tighter. "I surrender my sword to no one."

"Really? Are you sure about that?"

Vlad's eyes glowed red, and then he evaporated into green smoke. The Fright Knight spun around, trying to get a bearing on the green mist, but it was everywhere, surrounding him, filling the air with a burning, electrical charge that sent pain coursing through his limbs, his chest. He slashed at the fog in vain with his sword, but the blade could find no purchase, nothing solid. As the lightning inside him intensified, he dropped to his knees, unable to bear the pain any longer. The Soul Shredder slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor beside him.

Instantly, the pain stopped, and the green mist coalesced into solid form, and then Vlad was human again, standing above him, triumphant. Bending down, he picked up the Soul Shredder. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? I'm glad you saw reason, Fright Knight. You're a valuable servant. I'd hate for you to wind up like that useless Hotep-Ra."

Rage, fiercer than any ectoranium charge burned through the Fright Knight, but he said nothing.

Vlad, taking that as submission, twirled the sword in his hand and smiled. "Good. Now, return to the Ghost Zone. After the skeleton warriors invade Amity Park, I want you to lead the charge on the Far Frozen." When the Fright Knight didn't respond, Vlad's eyes glowed red again, but this time he remained in human form. A warning only. "Do you understand?"

The Fright Knight clenched his fists, but gave a slight incline of his head and forced his voice into as submissive a tone as he could feign. "I understand perfectly. _Master_."

* * *

_**Manson Residence  
Amity Park**_

When the power went out, the first thing Sam thought was that Aragon must be attacking somewhere nearby. _City Hall, maybe? But why didn't the Ghost Alert go off? _

Down the hall, her grandmother cursed in Yiddish. "_A broch_! My scooter has to die right when we have a blackout?"

Sam sucked in her breath. The scooter's death confirmed it wasn't just a normal power outage, and her grandmother was stuck virtually immobilized very near where Aragon must be mounting an attack. Grabbing a candle and matches from the ample assortment on her nightstand—being a goth had its perks—Sam dashed down the hall to her grandmother's room.

"You okay, Grandma?"

"I'm fine, _bubbeleh_. My scooter just picked the exact moment the power went out to die, too."

Sam lit the candle and placed it on her grandma's dresser, then stuffed the box of matches in her skirt pocket as she knelt beside the scooter. "I don't think it's a power outage. It's a ghost attack. You know that whole thing about me using that amulet to turn into a ghost dragon that Mom and Dad were having kittens about last night? All of that was to fight this other ghost dragon that works for Vlad. He has this power to kill any kind of modern technology—electricity, car engines, anything you couldn't use in medieval times."

"The power didn't go out last night."

"Not here, no, but down by the mall it did. His range is kinda limited, so he must be nearby. We gotta get you somewhere safe."

Her grandma waved a hand at her. "Feh. I can take care of myself, Sammy, you know that. Just go into my closet and find my wheelchair. You know, the one I use sometimes when the scooter needs to recharge?"

Smiling, Sam patted her grandmother's hand, then made her way into the closet to look for the wheelchair. While she was pushing aside some sweaters to get at the chair, she heard her mother call out from down the hall. "Sam? Where are you?"

"She's in here with me, Pam," her grandmother called back.

Her mom appeared at the doorway just as Sam was dragging the wheelchair out of the closet. "Oh, good, you're here. I thought—"

Sam glared at her mother. "You thought what? That I turned into a dragon again to get the power back on? I don't even have the amulet anymore. Danny took it away from me because he was just as unhappy as you were that I did that, remember? No, of course you don't, because that doesn't fit your tidy little Danny-is-the-source-of-all-badness view of the world."

Her mother sighed. "Samantha, do we really have to do this now? Obviously that ghost dragon is attacking somewhere nearby—"

"I know that. Why do you think I'm getting Grandma's wheelchair out for her? I thought it might be nice if she could not be stuck in the middle of a ghost attack with no wheels."

"Put a sock in it, both of you." Her grandmother leveled a stern look at the two of them. "Sammy, you promised to respect your parents a little more, and Pam, you need to trust your daughter knows what she's doing a little more. Now, if this is some sort of ghost attack and we can't call for backup, what are we going to do about it? Where's Jeremy?"

"Getting together some weapons. Thank goodness I went over to the Fentons to get those crossbows and that ax this afternoon. Almost makes getting covered in green slime worth it."

Sam unfolded the wheelchair and set it up near the scooter so her grandma could slide into it without aggravating her bad hip. When she was settled in, she looked up at Sam. "So what do we do now? You're the expert."

"We figure out what Aragon's attacking and get you in the opposite direction."

"Sam? Pam? Mother? Where is everyone?"

"We're in your mother's room, Jeremy!"

Sam's dad appeared at the door, huffing under the exertion of carrying the two crossbows, a battle ax, and three baseball bats that her mother had brought from FentonWorks earlier, plus a fencing sword and a pair of cutlasses that Sam recognized from a display that hung in his study. Dumping the load on the floor, he leaned against the door jam. "Here's everything I could find. You girls all okay?"

"Fine, Dad," Sam said absently as she moved toward the window to see if she could get a bead on Aragon. Pulling back the curtain, she peered out. Her grandma's room faced the side of the house, but by leaning out, she could see the street, which looked odd without streetlights or the sign from the shoe store across the street to bathe it in its usual yellow and white light. Instead, everything was sort of an eerie green, probably from Aragon's green clouds of backwardness.

Except... Aragon's clouds blocked light. They didn't glow. And the street below was definitely lit, as if by a row of green lights. It kind of reminded her of when the Ghost King—

_Oh, crud._

Swallowing, Sam leaned to the side so she could look up at the sky. Instead of the green, fog-like clouds that should have been present if Aragon were attacking, the sky glowed a sickly, mottled green, almost like a ghost shield.

Or a dome from the Fright Knight's sword.

_So_ not good. But if the Fright Knight had captured the town, why had all the technology died? There still should've been clouds from Aragon, or the power would still be going. Unless...

_The incantation sets the terms of the capture._

Sam scanned the skies for any sign of light on the horizon. As far as she could see, there was only darkness and the glowing, green dome, which confirmed her fears. "It's the whole town. They did it together."

"What?" her grandmother asked.

"New plan." Sam backed away from the window and turned to face her parents and grandma. "The blackout isn't local. It's the whole town. And we're completely covered in one of those domes, like with the Ghost King."

Her mother and father both moved past her to get a look out the window. Her dad then turned to her. "What's it mean? How do we get rid of it?"

"I'm not sure. We're gonna have to hook up with the others and come up with a plan together. We need to get to FentonWorks. We need Danny."

And for once, her parents didn't argue.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-nine**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Danny had never seen the streets of Amity Park so dark and quiet. Even during the few citywide blackouts he could remember over the years, cars had still worked, lighting the streets with their headlights and filling the air with the sounds of engines and horns honking at the backups caused by lack of traffic lights.

But now, there was only the green glow of the dome Aragon had called into being over the town to offer any illumination whatsoever. No headlights, not even flashlights lit the streets.

The quiet was even worse. No AC units humming. No stereos turned up too loud. Not even battery-powered radios. No cars, motorcycles, not even boat engines out on Lake Michigan.

Worst of all was the lack of people. Usually blackouts brought people outside, especially in the summer. With no AC to keep the houses cool and no TVs, computers, or Xboxes to offer entertainment, people were drawn outside during blackouts. Backyard barbecues would be fired up as electric stoves were useless and food from non-functioning refrigerators needed to be used up before it spoiled. Often, impromptu block parties would form as people looked for something to do until their normal, electricity-dependent lives could resume.

But there was none of that now. The people of Amity Park knew what it meant when peculiar things happened in their town. They'd seen their whole city covered in a strange, green dome before. The all-technology-of-any-kind blackout was new, but anyone who'd lived in Amity Park more than a month could guess what it meant. So the people weren't out holding barbecues and looking for non-electricity-based forms of entertainment.

They were hunkering down, preparing for the invasion they knew was coming.

The sight of FentonWorks completely dark, orange neon sign off, and not so much as the flicker of candlelight in the windows was no less unnerving. When Danny had first taken off for home, he'd planned on just flying right into the house and swooping up Danielle to... Well, he didn't know what he was going to do then. But the completely dark building screamed _trap_ at him, and even in his haste to get to Danielle, to somehow protect her, the strategic portion of his brain kicked in, cautioning him to take it slow.

Landing on the front porch, he stood outside the door a moment to see if his Ghost Sense went off. Nothing, which meant at least there were no hoards of skeleton warriors. But Vlad didn't activate his Ghost Sense, so it was still possible that he could be there, a thought Danny tried to banish. If that were the case, it was already too late.

He phased through the door into the darkened living room. It was eerie, lit only by the green glow of the dome from outside, and with no hum from any of the myriad electronics in the entertainment center. Overhead, he heard a noise. Someone moving upstairs? Letting impatience get the better of him, Danny flew up to the landing overlooking the living room, stopping there to listen again. Yep, there it was again, sounds from overhead. The Op-Center then. He started down the hallway—

"Have some Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, you spectral prowler!"

Danny whirled around, going intangible just in time to miss getting cold-cocked as a baseball bat swung through the space where his head was now just a ghostly image. On the other end of the bat was Jazz, who was caught off balance by the unexpected empty air. Danny became solid again, reaching out to catch her.

"Jazz, it's me! Put the bat down!"

"Danny!" Jazz regained her footing and lowered the bat. "Am I glad to see you! Where's Mom?"

"She'll be along in a bit. Where're Dad and Dani?"

"Up in the Op-Center. Dad was working up there when the power went out, and Dani and I figured Aragon must be attacking somewhere nearby, so we went up to get some of those new no-tech weapons. Then we saw that freaky green dome. It looks just like that time with the Ghost King. Danny, what's going on? The whole town is blacked out, isn't it? Mrs. Foley called just before it hit, but the phone went dead on her end before we lost power here."

He nodded. "Aragon swiped the Fright Knight's sword and claimed the town for Vlad, and he made his time-freezing anti-technology powers part of deal. That's why I rushed back here. With no ghost shields, Vlad's gonna come after Dani. Aragon said as much in the incantation he used. 'The master takes back his due' or whatever. You said she's up with Dad in the Op-Center?"

She hesitated. "Yeah. He just sent me down to get some kerosene camping lanterns out of the shed."

Danny frowned. Why had she hesitated? "What aren't you telling me, Jazz?"

She sighed. "It's Dani. Ever since the power went out, she's been feeling sick again." When he turned to rush off, she put a hand on his arm to stop him. "It's not too bad. She didn't need any ecto-purifier or anything."

"She's in the _Op-Center_. That's _always_ bad!"

"No, she's just helping Dad with the weapons. She's feeling a little nauseous, that's all."

Then, it hit him. "It's the _dome_. It's a kind of ecto-storm. Mom thinks that's what's juicing up the ectoranium. I've gotta take Dani..." He trailed off when he realized he had no idea how to finish that sentence.

Jazz put words to the problem. "Take her where? No shields. _Anywhere_. And that dome is _everywhere_."

"I don't know, but I have to do _something_, Jazz! I'm not going to let him get her again!"

She squeezed his arm. "You'll figure something out. You always do. Go up there and see her. I'm gonna go see if I can find those kerosene lanterns in Dad's shed." She turned toward the stairs, then paused and looked back. "Send rescue dogs in to dig me out if I'm not back in an hour."

Danny didn't answer, instead flying straight up towards the ceiling and phasing through it and the roof until he reached the Op-Center.

A few candles were burning on the workbench in the center of the room, giving the place an almost cozy atmosphere. It helped that the windows were all shuttered, blocking the green glow. His dad was hunched over the middle bench, working on what looked like the handle to his Jack o' nine tails, while Dani was seated on a stool beside him painting something green and phosphorescent onto a broadsword. She was sitting a little hunched and her face was pinched, like she'd just eaten some bad chili or something, but otherwise looked fine.

Allowing himself a small sigh of relief, Danny became solid. "Oh, thank God. You guys are okay."

His dad looked up from the Jack o' nine tails. "Danny! Where's your mother?"

"She'll be along in a bit. I was kind of in a hurry to get back when I realized the shields would be down."

"You just left her there, at a house filled with skeleton ghosts? And I'm guessing no working weapons, since it looks like this no-tech blackout is citywide."

"It is citywide, but she keeps a machete in her _boot_, Dad. I think she can handle herself." Danny shrugged off his backpack and set it down on the workbench.

Danielle straightened a little, trying to hide the fact that she wasn't feeling well. "What the heck is going on out there, anyway?"

"It's Aragon. He stole the Fright Knight's sword and used it to claim Amity Park for Vlad, sort of combining it with his anti-tech powers to take out everything in the entire town. And the dome is a type of ecto-storm, which is probably why you're getting sick again."

She scowled. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's why you look like you're gonna hurl."

"It's not that bad."

"It's bad enough. We need to get you out of here."

"To where? That dome is everywhere."

"It's not the dome I'm worried about. Listen." Digging into the pocket of his backpack, he pulled out the crumpled notepaper his mom had given him. "This is from the incantation Aragon used. '_What once was taken—and mode still offends— / The master takes back his due in the _end.' Dani, I think Vlad's gonna try and come after you. It sounds like he's still pretty steamed about how we were able to rescue you."

The greenish cast to her face turned white. "What? He's—" She swallowed. "It's okay. I... I can fight him."

Her fear unnerved Danny. Normally she was all bluster, anxious to prove she was still strong, but seeing her like this made his insides curdle. Vlad scared her—

He scared her to death.

"You won't have to fight him. Ever. I'll find someplace safe."

A sound came from outside, a distant roar, echoing through the empty, silent streets, and Danielle jumped. "What's that?"

Danny frowned as he tried to figure out what could possibly making such a noise in a technological dead zone. Then his eyes widened as he realized what it was. "It's a jet engine. It's gotta be Valerie."

Jamming the paper with the words to Aragon's incantation back into his backpack pocket, he ran out onto the roof, scanning the sky. Sure enough, he could see a small figure zooming toward them from the direction of Axion Labs. Danny shot a blast of ectoplasm into the sky to catch her attention, aiming well clear of her trajectory, then waved his arms. "Valerie, up here!"

She must have seen him, because she angled toward the roof. As she got closer, he realized she wasn't alone. There were two other silhouettes perched on top of her sled. One was bulky and solid, while the other was gangly and looked to be clinging to her with a death grip that could have strangled a rhinoceros.

Danny backed up to give Valerie room to land. She circled down, gliding to a stop on the roof just outside the door. The bulky figure turned out to be her father, while the gangly-death-grip one was Tucker, his eyes squeezed shut behind the visor of the black and red helmet he was wearing. Mr. Gray stepped off the sled, taking off his own helmet, but Tucker didn't let go of Valerie.

She sighed. "Tucker. We've landed. You can let go now."

When that failed to cause a reaction, Mr. Gray gave a loud cough. Tucker opened his eyes a crack and, seeing he was on solid ground—or solid bricks-and-mortar, anyway—he let out a long, noisy breath, like a balloon deflating, and released Valerie to slide off the sled onto his knees. "So. High. Much. Worse. Than. Last time."

With Tucker safely removed from his daughter, Mr. Gray went inside while Valerie turned to Danny. "What the heck happened? We were in Axion Labs finishing that little robot drone you asked us to work on when the power went out."

"Too bad, too. We'd just gotten it working." Tucker, still on his knees, yanked the helmet off his head and threw it aside, then pulled off his backpack and retrieved something from it that looked like a wireless computer mouse. "Who's a good little robot drone? You are! Yes, you are!"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "When Tucker's little pet died, too, and Axion's backup generator didn't kick in, we figured Aragon was in the neighborhood. But by the time we got outside, no Aragon. Just this funky green dome and no power anywhere in town."

"Except the hospital." Using Valerie's arm for support, Tucker managed to drag himself to his feet. "We flew over the hospital to see if Technus's lightning rod worked, and it did."

Jerking her arm from him, Valerie gave him a tart look. "And how would you know whether it was working or not? You had your eyes closed the whole time! I swear, Tucker, I don't know what your problem is. You fly with Danny all the time."

"That's different. He transfers some of his powers to us, so I can fly, too. Whole different thing than standing on a glorified skateboard with rocket engines under you going a hundred and ninety-eight miles an hour, fifty feet up."

"And if Danny let go of you, you'd be no less road pancake than if you fell off the sled, you big baby."

"Guys!" Danny held up his hands. "We've got more important things going on here. First of all, Aragon stole the Fright Knight's sword and pulled a Ghost King on us. The incantation he used is what cut off the power. Second, my mom thinks ecto-storms might be what's keeping Vlad juiced up, and that dome is one, big, fat battery for him." He lowered his voice so he wouldn't be heard inside. "And it's also making Dani sick."

Valerie's eyes rounded in worry. "Is she all right?"

"Not too bad. But she's not safe. I think Vlad's coming after her."

Worry turned to alarm. "What?"

"That was in the incantation Aragon used, too. Something about taking back what was taken from him."

Now it was anger that settled over Valerie's features. "Oh, no he _didn't_. He is not touching her again. Not without getting through me and every weapon my suit and sled can throw at him first."

"Right there with you, Val. I've gotta figure out how to keep her safe. She's actually pretty freaked out. Didn't even accuse me of being overprotective."

"Where is she?"

"Inside."

Pushing past him, Valerie went into the Op-Center. "Hey, girl. You doing okay?" She pulled over another stool and sat down beside her as Danny and Tucker came inside.

"I'm fine." But Dani's voice was flat, without her usual bluster or annoyance at being fussed over. Valerie raised her eyebrows and shot Danny a look.

Danny's dad motioned to the weapons, waving away their concern. "She's just helping me get these bad boys ready. People are gonna start showing up here before too long. They always do when there's ghost trouble. We're gonna wanna have stuff for people to defend themselves."

"That's a good idea, Dad." Danny had to force himself to switch gears to think about the whole town and not just Danielle. "We should get weapons into everyone's hands we possibly can, and fast. The usual suspects aren't gonna be enough. Aragon said we had five hours to surrender to Vlad or the skeleton warriors are gonna come swarming in. But Vlad's pretty famous for being bad at math, especially when it comes to deadlines, so I'm expecting them anytime."

Tucker cocked his head. "Wait. Skeleton warriors are gonna come swarming in _how_? If the whole town's blacked out, Vlad's portal has gotta be down, too. No way to get in and out of the Ghost Zone unless a natural portal opens up somewhere, and without the Infi-Map, there's no way to know where or when that'll happen."

Danny blinked. "I never thought of that."

"You can bet Vladdy did." His dad put down the Jack o' nine tails. "He'll have figured a way around that. How about that old house you and your mom were checking out? There were skeleton ghosts there, right?"

"Some, yeah, but no more than a couple dozen. Not enough to be a big problem."

"Then he thought of another way to bring them in. Vladdy's many things, but stupid ain't one of 'em."

Valerie drummed her fingers on the workbench beneath her. "What about the incantation he used to shut off the power in the first place? Sam said it sets the terms of the capture, right? Couldn't he have built in some sort of loophole? It's really just a mystical contract, after all, and contracts always have loopholes."

"Good thing Mom wrote this all down, because I never would've remembered it all." Danny reached for his backpack and pulled out the notepaper again. "_Through sword procured and master's rage / I return this land to bygone age / Time, halt your march, progress unravel_ / _Save for the way the revenant travel._" He looked up. "What's a 'revenant?' Isn't that some old video game?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "It's a kind of a ghost, lamebrain. A reanimated corpse. How does someone who not only grew up in a family of ghost hunters but is _himself_ a ghost not know that?"

"Sorry, Sam's the expert on creepy stuff, not me. But reanimated corpse sure describes the skeleton warriors."

Tucker nodded. "And the way that they travel would be through a Ghost Portal. There's your loophole. I'll bet that portal is up and running."

"We gotta get it shut down, Tuck. Now."

"How? Our plan was to wait for the next time something comes through and takes down the shield to get out, so we can slip in the remote-controlled drone. But that's tech. It's not gonna work now."

"So, the door's wide open for the skeleton warriors to get out of the Ghost Zone." He stopped, snapping his fingers as another thought hit him. "Or for us to get _in_. That's where I can take Dani where she'll be protected from Vlad. Into the Ghost Zone, to the Far Frozen!"

Dani's face lit up, some of her spark finally returning. "The Far Frozen! It'll be away from this stupid dome, so I can help with stuff they're doing there to fight Vlad."

"Dude, are you nuts?" Tucker shook his head. "Your idea for keeping Dani safe is to take her to Vlad's portal, where thousands of skeletons—the ghosts that make her sick—are going to come streaming through at any second?"

"Where else am I supposed to take her? He's coming after her, Tuck! We've gotta make the Ghost Zone work. It's the only place she'll be safe from Vlad and from this stupid ecto-storm dome."

"Even if you wanted to take a shot at getting through Vlad's portal, if it's working, the shield's still working, and that means you can't get in until the skeleton warriors come through. You really want to try to swim upstream against a legion of skeleton warriors with Dani when they're part of the thing that makes her sick?"

Danny's heart sunk as he cast around for some idea, any idea to get through that shield. "What about Technus? Could he make your drone work and shut down the shield?"

"Maybe, but he's in the Ghost Zone. You have to get in to get him."

Danny's dad stood up from his stool. "I can get you into the Ghost Zone without Vladdy's portal."

Catching his breath, Danny turned towards his father. "Really? How?"

Grinning, his dad reached over to the workbench behind him and picked up a square metal box. "The Porta-Portals. I think I've even finally got 'em calibrated so they'll open up exactly where we want 'em to. You can take Dani-rella in with this one, which should open right in the middle of the Far Frozen, and use the other to get back to the FentonWorks basement lab."

"And bring Dora back to deal with Aragon, and Technus to help Tuck shut down Vlad's portal."

Tucker shook his head. "You're forgetting one important thing. The Porta-Portal's _technology_. It won't work here."

A light sparked in Valerie's eyes and her lips curved into a smug grin. "It will if we hook it into my jet sled."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

The walk to FentonWorks—a trip Sam had made so many times over her five-year friendship with Danny that she could do it blindfolded and walking backward—was a lot creepier with no lights, save for the green dome, and absolutely no sign of life on the streets. Or unlife, even. They'd brought a duffel bag loaded with the weapons Sam's dad had gathered together, expecting to have to fight their way through skeleton warriors or Aragon or the Fright Knight or, God forbid, even Vlad, but there was nothing. The absence of people she understood—Amity Park hunkered down when ghosts attacked. But there _were_ no ghosts attacking. Where were they?

Still, with her grandmother along in a regular wheelchair instead of her scooter, Sam hadn't relished the thought of a skirmish, so she was as relieved as she was disquieted when they arrived at FentonWorks without incident.

Unfortunately, the place seemed deserted. Sam's mom had knocked on the door several times while Sam and her dad waited on the sidewalk with Grandma, but nothing. Hoping they were just in the lab and couldn't hear the knocks, rather than out somewhere fighting the Fright Knight or who knows what, Sam went around back to try the back door, which was closer to the kitchen and the basement.

As she entered the back gate, she saw a light coming out of Mr. Fenton's storage shed on the other side of the yard. A few seconds later, a figure emerged, balancing an armful of kerosene lanterns, one of which was lit, and a single baseball bat.

"Jazz?"

Jazz stopped, baseball bat at the ready, and angled the light in Sam's direction. "Sam? Is that you?"

"Yeah. My family's at the front door. We came over as soon as we figured out this was more than just Aragon's dragon fog. We knocked, but no one heard us, so I figured everyone was down in the lab."

Jazz relaxed, letting the bat fall to her side. "Op-Center, actually. Come on up." Motioning with her head toward the back door, she started moving in that direction again herself.

"We've got my grandma with us. She's not going to be able to manage that many stairs."

"Oh! She uses one of those electric scooters, doesn't she? How'd she get all the way over here?"

"She has a manual wheelchair." Sam reached the porch steps first and waited for Jazz to catch up. "So, do you guys know what's happening? I mean, I can guess the Fright Knight and Aragon worked together to claim the town with the Fright Knight's sword, judging by the dome and the lack of power everywhere. Need some help with those lanterns?" she added, indicating the three unlit camping lanterns Jazz was struggling to carry without disrupting the flame on the lit one.

"Yeah, thanks." Jazz handed her the unlit lamps as she reached the steps so that she could pull out her keys and unlock the door. When it was open, she took one of the lanterns back, leaving Sam the other two. "You're right about the dome, although Danny said Aragon stole the sword from the Fright Knight."

Sam raised her eyebrows as she followed Jazz into the house. "Danny saw what happened?"

"Uh-huh. He and our mom were there, at that old abandoned house on the other end of Maple Street. They'd gone to check on a report of skeleton warriors there. I guess there was some ecto-storm there a few years ago? Mom thinks maybe ecto-storms have something to do with whatever's keeping Vlad powered up. And since Danielle started getting sick again right when that dome appeared, she must be onto something."

"Oh, man! The whole _dome_ is affecting her?"

"It gets worse. Danny thinks Vlad's coming after her."

Sam stopped short. "What?"

"I'm not sure what's going on. Danny was kind of in a rush to see her, so I didn't get the whole story. And with the shields down everywhere..."

"There's no way to protect her." Sam had to fight the urge to punch a hole in the Fentons' living room wall. Every day, it got harder and harder to remember that Vlad was still half human. Or to care.

They reached the front entryway and the bottom of the staircase, and Jazz stopped. "You let your folks in. I'll run up to the Op-Center and tell Danny you're here." She turned and headed upstairs, taking the lit lantern with her, so Sam pulled the box of matches she'd brought from home out of her pocket and lit the other two lamps before opening the door for her family.

Just as Sam and her parents were settling her grandma into her wheelchair again after helping her up the steps and into the house, Danny came down from the Op-Center along with Danielle, Tucker, Valerie, Jazz, Mr. Fenton, and Mr. Gray. Danny was in ghost form and had his school backpack slung over one shoulder, and Valerie was in her battle suit and helmet. Danielle, looking a little green, sat down three steps from the bottom, and Valerie sat down beside her while everyone else gathered at the foot of the stairs.

Danny came toward Sam like he was going to hug her, until his eyes flicked to her parents, and he took a step back. "I'm... glad you guys are okay. You run into any trouble out there?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Which actually made it creepier than if we'd been attacked. It's just dead out there. You and Dani are the first ghosts we've seen all night."

"Wish I could say the same." He gave a rushed summary of his short battle with Aragon and the Fright Knight, and how Aragon stole the Fright Knight's sword to create the dome that killed all the power. "There's a good chance that the incantation Aragon used made an exception for Vlad's portal. Aragon also said that if the town didn't surrender in five hours, they were gonna send in skeleton warriors and destroy everything. And Vlad being Vlad, I doubt he'll keep his word on the time limit. We need to be ready, like, _now_, and not just for some raid, either. I think we're looking at an actual invasion, worse than last night, even."

Sam's mom fiddled with the pearls at her neck. "How are a half a dozen people with crossbows and battle axes going to manage against something of that scale?"

"For starters, we're gonna get weapons into as many people's hands as possible. Vlad thinks Amity Park is defenseless because he cut off our shields and our high-tech weapons, but he's wrong."

Grandma pounded a fist on the armrest of her wheelchair. "Darn tootin'! Just hand me one of those crossbows and point this chair in the right direction—"

Sam bit her lip keep from laughing, but her father was less amused. "Mother!"

"What, you think you got your skeet-shooting skills out of thin air? I was pretty good at archery back in the day. And I haven't gotten to really stick it to the man since the sixties. Or the ghost, as the case may be. I do miss my wheels, though. Manual is for putzes."

"I feel ya, Mrs. M." Tucker bumped fists with her.

"Unfortunately, manual's all we've got," Danny said. "The only way we know to get rid of the dome is to take out Vlad, and we don't know how to do that yet."

"Mom's _this_ close." Jazz pinched her thumb and forefinger together. "The ecto-storm is connected."

Mr. Fenton nodded. "She'll figure out how to take him down. We've just gotta buy her some time and keep those bony boogeymen from overrunning the town."

Tucker flashed a cocky grin. "That's where I come in." He then showed everyone the little mouse drone he, Valerie, and Mr. Gray had put together to get through to the generator while the shields were down.

Mr. Gray eyed the device. "If Technus can make it work, that is."

"Technus?" Sam frowned. "But he's not here."

"And that's where _I_ come in," Valerie said. "Mr. Fenton rigged his Porta-Portal thingy to my sled. Guess it's time to see if it works." She climbed to her feet.

Mr. Fenton flashed a confident smile. "It'll work."

Danny turned to where Danielle was sitting next to Valerie on the stairs. "You ready?"

She nodded, also getting to her feet, and Sam looked from her to Danny, confused. "Ready for what? What are you—?" And then, she understood. "You're taking Danielle to the Ghost Zone so Vlad can't get her."

"The Ghost Zone?" Her dad stepped between them before Danny could answer. "We're about to face an invasion of ghosts, and you're abandoning your town and all the humans in it to run off to the Ghost Zone?"

"Dad!"

"Don't 'Dad' me! We're stuck her with no power, no high-tech weapons—"

"Mr. Manson, I'm not staying. I just need to take Dani there and bring back Technus and Dora to help us here."

Now it was Valerie's turn to react in surprise. "Wait a minute. You're coming back? You, the mother of all mother hens, are just gonna leave Danielle alone in the Ghost Zone?"

He looked like she'd punched him in the gut, and Sam winced at what she knew he was thinking. If he hadn't left her alone in the Ghost Zone in the first place... But his responsibility to the town weighed on him, as well. "What else am I supposed to do? I can't hang out in the Ghost Zone while a hoard of skeleton warriors are attacking Amity Park."

Valerie considered that a moment. "Okay, then I'll go and stay with her."

He blinked. "What?"

Mr. Gray looked equally unhappy. "Wait just a minute, little girl..."

Danielle put a hand on Valerie's shoulder, warring emotions playing across her face, like she couldn't decide whether she was relieved that someone would stay with her or annoyed that anyone felt they needed to. "You don't have to do that, Val. Neither of you do. I'll be okay there. You've both gotta stay here and fight. Mr. Manson is right. The crossbows and axes and stuff will work fine on the skeleton warriors, but you and Danny are the only ones who have a chance again Aragon or the Fright Knight or Vlad."

Valerie put her hands on her hips. "And what if Vlad manages to break through the Far Frozen after all and the fight's there?"

Danny looked heartsick. "Val, no one wants to stay with her more than I do, but she's right, and so is Mr. Manson. The fight is here, and we can't bail on it. Besides, you're the only one who can open the Portal from this side. The second one will work for anyone in the Ghost Zone, but only the one on your sled will work here. If you go into the Ghost Zone, everyone here will be cut off."

Valerie's face fell. "I didn't think of that."

"I'll be okay, guys, really."

But Sam could see the conflict in Danielle's eyes. She wanted to be strong, but she looked... small somehow. Which was not how Sam usually thought of her. No matter how sick she got, no matter how Danny tried to treat her like a porcelain doll, she always seemed so loud and blustery and her presence so _large_. But the way she was standing next to Valerie with her arms crossed, not in her usual _bring-it_ way, but more like she was hugging herself, Sam could tell it was more than just a reaction to the ecto-storm dome outside.

And Sam knew what she needed to do. "I could go with you."

An expression she couldn't name crossed Danny's face, but her parents practically exploded in unison. "Absolutely not!" Then, her mother grabbed her arm and jerked her back as if she was afraid Danny would snatch her away. "If you think we're letting you run off into the Ghost Zone with—" She stopped short, then glanced at Danny's dad, who was uncharacteristically silent. Looking away, she straightened her back and crossed her arms, glowering at Sam. "You're still grounded."

Swallowing the nasty retort that was on her lips, Sam instead argued the loophole. "Not from stuff that has to do with fighting Vlad."

"She's right, Pam." Her grandma nudged her chair forward into fray. "That was the deal."

"And the fighting will be here," Sam pointed out. "It'll actually be safer in the Ghost Zone. Besides, I can be useful there. Here, I'm just one more body with a battle ax, but there I'll have access to Frostbite's entire archives. Maybe I can find out what all those purple sapphires he stole are good for. Please, let me go where I can do the most good." Looking over her shoulder to where Danielle was still standing beside Valerie, she added, "If that's okay with you, I mean."

Dani shrugged. "Sure, whatever. Let's just _go_ already." But she looked just the tiniest bit less conflicted than before, which Sam figured was as close to an invitation as she was going to get. Valerie gave her a small nod.

But it was Danny who looked hesitant, his eyes searching. "Sam, are you sure about this? You wanna sit out of a fight, leave your family, your _grandma_ behind?"

Sam waved that away. "Please. Grandma can take care of herself, and what fun's a ghost fight without a Wrist Ray? They still work in the Ghost Zone, right?"

That earned her a smile. "Yeah, they should. And I do have a couple in my backpack."

She turned to her parents. "Mom? Dad?"

They exchanged glances, and her father sighed. "I suppose it would be safer."

Sam beamed. "Quick, Val. Open up a portal before they change their minds."

Coming up beside her, Danny slipped his right hand into her left and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you."

Valerie stepped down the last two steps and moved out into the living room where there was more space. With a click of her heels, her sled materialized under her feet, then she pressed down on it with the toe of her right boot. Sam couldn't see a button or lever where she was pressing, but something must have been there, because a crackle of green lightning shot out of the sled. As if there were an invisible curtain hanging across the living room, the lightning tore a hole, revealing a swirling, green light.

Valerie smiled. "Oh, yeah, baby! Works like a charm."

"Yes!" Mr. Fenton pumped a fist in the air. Then, he coughed and composed himself. "I mean, of course it does. Now, this should take you right into the middle of the Far Frozen."

"Thanks, Dad. And good luck with Vlad's portal, Tuck. I'll send Technus and Dora to help as soon as I can." He held his other hand out to Danielle, who took it as she stepped down to join him and Sam.

"Danny, wait!"

Danny and Sam stopped, startled. Sam's mom had used his actual name instead of calling him "Daniel." She looked between the two of them, seeming to struggle for words, before she finally addressed Danny. "If it's not safe... if there's any trouble, anything at all, don't worry about us back here. Just keep her safe. She's... she's my only daughter."

Sam wasn't sure whether she or Danny was more surprised, but he was the one who found his voice.

"I know." Then, he, Sam, and Danielle stepped through the swirling green light of the ghost portal.

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

They came out on the other side of the portal to find themselves floating in the green-black "sky" of the Ghost Zone. Below them, maybe a half mile down, lay the icy peaks of the Far Frozen, looking a bit like the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland, only instead of a roller coaster track coming out of it, there was a long tunnel of ice that stuck out of the side of the mountain like a smoking pipe—the only way into or out of the realm.

Sam blinked as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the snow below them after the relatively dim lighting from the kerosene lanterns back at FentonWorks. "Well, it's not exactly _in_ the Far Frozen, but it's close."

"And it didn't pull us apart molecule by molecule. I'm calling it a win." Still gripping both hers and Danielle's hands, Danny flew them down toward the opening at the end of the ice tunnel. A sentry, one of Frostbite's snow creatures, stood just inside the entrance. As he saw them approach, he lowered the ghost shield that surrounded the realm, granting them access to the narrow crevasse that led to the realm.

When they arrived at the village, Danny set the three of them down in the square, which was as bustling with all manner of ghosts as it had been when they'd visited yesterday. Unlike yesterday, however, Sam hasn't been expecting to come here and wasn't prepared for the cold. Letting go of Danny's hand, she rubbed her bare arms. "You'd think I'd learn to keep my parka handy in case of impromptu trips to the Ghost Zone."

"Danny brought mine." Danielle nodded toward his backpack. "You can borrow it until Frostbite gets you a coat. I'm not cold."

Danny slipped off his backpack and tugged at the zipper. "You sure, Dani? If you're sick, the cold's gonna affect you more than usual."

She glanced upward at the purple sky. "No dome. I feel fine. And the cold actually helps." To prove the point, she scooped up a handful of snow in her bare hands and pressed it into a snowball.

Sam was a little surprised that there was no annoyance in Danielle's voice. She was even more surprised when Danny didn't argue with her, instead just unzipping the backpack and wrestling her red coat out to hand to Sam. It was tight and the arms were too short for her, but it was better than her summer tank top and would do until they found Frostbite and he gave her one of those white woolen pullovers he always had for them when they visited.

Danny slung his bag back on his shoulder. "Now we gotta go find Technus and Dora—"

"Great One! This is a most timely visit!" Across the square, Frostbite was coming toward them from the direction of the Archive caverns, flanked by two other Yeti creatures.

Danny headed toward him at a quick jog, with Sam and Dani trailing behind. "Sorry to just pop in, but Vlad figured out a way to use Aragon's tech-killing power and the Fright Knight's sword to seal off Amity Park and cut all power." He gave a quick summary of what was happening in Amity Park.

Frostbite's shaggy brow furrowed into what Sam thought was a disturbed scowl. "This is a most unwelcome development indeed." He turned to the two tribesmen accompanying him. "Bring the Technology Ghost and the Dragon Princess at once. And coats for our guests."

With a bow of acknowledgment, they left, each heading in a different direction, and Frostbite turned back to Danny. "Will you be returning to the Human World, then?"

"I will be, but Sam and Danielle are staying here, if that's okay with you. We think Vlad's coming after Danielle again. With no shields, I can't protect her in Amity Park."

"You are always welcome here, Great One, as are all your kinsmen and companions. But..." He hesitated, then spoke in a hushed tone. "I fear the Far Frozen may not be any safer a refuge than your world."

"What? The Far Frozen is well defended. The ice alone—"

"That is exactly the problem, Great One. The core temperature of our realm, which has never varied more than two or three degrees for as long as we have existed, has risen from the usual negative twenty degrees Celsius to just a few degrees below freezing. If the temperature keeps rising at the rate it has been, then before this night is over, the ice will begin to melt."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-one**

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Danny's heart nearly stopped in his chest. "What? The ice is—"

Clamping a mammoth paw over his face, Frostbite hissed at him. "Sh! We don't want to cause a panic. Only my people and the group of ghosts who have been leaders in the war against the anti-ghost know what is happening."

Danny nodded and Frostbite released him. Keeping his voice low this time, Danny tried again. "What do you mean the ice is going to melt? How is that possible?"

"We don't know. We don't normally track environmental temperature because it remains constant, but a few hours ago, my people began to notice a change in the snow."

Sam sucked in her breath. "Oh, my gosh! Dani made a snowball just now!"

Frostbite looked like Sam had hit on something important, but Danny was lost. "I don't get it."

Sam explained. "When we were here a few days ago, Youngblood was trying to make a snowman, remember? But he couldn't because the snow wouldn't pack. It was too dry. But as the temperature gets closer to the freezing point, the snow gets wetter and is better for packing."

Frostbite's eyes were grave. "Exactly. The people of the Far Frozen are connected to the snow and the ice in our realm, but it wasn't until the temperature was nearly fifteen degrees warmer than usual that we sensed the difference. Had it been a more sudden change, or if there had been a notable heat source, we might have noticed, but it may already be too late."

Danny swallowed. "Too late for what? The shields still work, right? The realm is still protected?"

"Yes, the shields will protect the Far Frozen from invasion, but as I said, my people are connected to this realm and to the snow and the ice. We are one with it. With the gradual increase in temperature, both the ice and our powers have been diminished while we were as yet unaware."

Again, Sam seemed to catch on more quickly than Danny. "Like trying to boil a frog. Throw it into a boiling pot, and it'll jump out again. Turn up the heat slowly, and it won't even notice the water getting hot until it's too late."

"An apt analogy, yes."

"Wait." Danny hoped he was misunderstanding Frostbite. "Are you saying it's more than just the ice that's in jeopardy? Are your powers already diminished?"

"I'm afraid so." With his right hand palm up—paw up?—Frostbite created a snowball. "This is as far as I can go. I cannot create solid ice as I could before."

"_So_ not good." Holding up his own right palm, Danny concentrated, letting his core temperature drop so that the cold built up inside him, then he channeled out through his hand, shaping it with his mind into first a snowball, and then hardening it until it became a crystal of solid ice. When it dropped into his hand, he looked at the Yeti leader. "I still can."

"Welcome news, though not surprising. While you may share the same central core as my people, and the same abilities, you do not share the same depth of connection to the Far Frozen that we have. It is the source of our powers, and our powers are its source. Other ghosts, like you, who are not of our people, but share our abilities are a part of that cycle, but more distantly so. There is another who has sought refuge here. I suspect his powers have remain unchanged as well."

"Another—?" And then, Danny remembered. "You mean Klemper?"

"Indeed. But if the temperature keeps rising and our realm is destroyed, eventually all ice powers will be lost, including yours."

"We can't let it get that far. How long has this temperature increase been going on? A few days?"

"No, a much shorter time than that. We've been tracking the air temperature for the past four hours, and it's gone up three more degrees, rising at a steady rate of three quarters of a degree an hour. If that has not changed since this began, we can calculate that the temperature began rising approximately twenty-four hours ago."

Danny met Sam's gaze. "Right after Vlad raided the mall."

"Seems awfully fast to get something up and running immediately after."

Danny turned back to Frostbite. "Can you pinpoint any cause? Any specific location the heat is coming from?"

"No. The temperature rise is uniform throughout the realm. We can pinpoint no starting location, no spot that is radiating heat. Of course, we began a search of the realm for any kind of device that could cause such a change, but have found nothing."

"Something long range, then?" Danny chewed on his lip, thinking. "Maybe we need to go back to the source and make a run on Pariah's Keep?"

"I do not think so, Great One. If the anti-ghost were radiating heat from afar, we would be able to find it. Heat is a form of energy, easily detected and traceable. But there is no heat to trace. There's just... more of it here, as if it came from nowhere."

"We have to know more about how he's doing this." He looked at Sam. "You said you wanted to research those sapphires while you were here. Looks like it's time to hit the books."

She nodded just as one of Frostbite's aids returned carrying a stack of white hooded pullovers that were woven out of the snow creatures' thick fur. Danny and Danielle refused the offered coats, but Sam took one, shedding Danielle's parka and giving it back to her before pulling the new one on over her head.

As Dani was putting on her parka, the other aid returned, followed by Technus and Dora. Dora gave Danielle a quick hug, but Technus rolled his eyes. "It's you, Ghost Child. Please tell me you don't want to do more experiments on your Ghost Hunter friend."

"No, but I do need you and Dora to go back to Amity Park. Aragon used the Fright Knight's sword to seal off the town and kill all their technology. On the bright side, we found the Amity Park end of Vlad's portal. Tucker needs your help shutting it down, Technus. And Dora, we need you to keep Aragon off everyone's backs."

Her eyes narrowed and became serpentine. "Gladly."

"He must pay for dabbling in powers that only I, Technus, Master of all Mechanics and—"

"Just go already!" Danny pulled off his backpack and opened it again, this time retrieving the second Porta-Portal. Aiming it away from any of the ghosts milling around the square, he pushed the button, shooting out a bolt of green lightening which tore open a portal in the space in front of them. "If my dad calibrated this right, it should open up in FentonWorks."

Sam held out her hand. "I'll take it now. If we need you, we'll come looking for you."

He shook his head. "I'm staying, Sam."

"Really?" A smile lit up Danielle's face, but she quickly schooled it into something more indifferent. "After you gave that whole speech to Valerie about the two of you being needed back in Amity Park?"

"That was before I knew the Far Frozen was in danger. I'm not leaving you if there's a fight looming here, too. Heck, I'd take you somewhere else if there were anywhere left to take you." He glanced at Sam. "Besides, I kinda promised Sam's mom I'd stay if anything wasn't right here."

"Technically you didn't," Sam pointed out. "You just said you knew how she felt."

"That's even more than a promise."

She nodded in understanding, and he turned to Technus and Dora. "Tell everyone there what's going on here and that I'm staying. Only... try to make it sound like not too big a deal. I don't want Sam's parents to completely freak out."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Sam rolled her eyes.

"The only freaking out that will be happening is from that overgrown lizard when he beholds what true power over all things technological—"

Dora grabbed Technus's arm and dragged him toward the portal. "And my brother used to complain that women talked too much!"

* * *

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Tucker was going over the schematics of his robot drone with Mr. Gray when a sort of lightning-bolt zap sounded outside in the backyard. Everyone in the room looked up from their various strategy discussions and exchanged nervous glances except for Mr. Fenton, who beamed.

"Sounds like the other Porta-Portal is working! That'll be Danny coming back with those two ghosts. Although it was supposed to open in the basement lab. Calibrations must be a little off."

A moment later, when Technus and Dora came in through the kitchen, Danny wasn't with them. Dora looked around the room, as if trying to decide who was in charge, and settled on Valerie. "The Ghost Boy sends his regrets, but he has decided to stay behind in the Ghost Zone."

Valerie snorted in disgust. "All that 'we gotta be here to fight,' and he stays after all. Figures."

But Tucker frowned. As overprotective as Danny was over Danielle, he wouldn't ditch out on a fight unless something was wrong. "Did the Ghost Boy—I mean Danny—say why?" He wondered why any of the ghosts even had names since none of them ever seemed to actually address anyone using them.

Dora looked a little wary. "The temperature in the Far Frozen has been rising, putting the ice at risk. He thought he might be needed there, just to make sure their defenses stay strong."

Tucker got a knot in his stomach, and Sam's parents looked alarmed, but Technus started up on one of his spiels before anyone else could say anything. "Never mind the ice, I want to get my hands on the ghost who dares to mess in my arena. Where is this pretender who thinks he can control technology?"

"Actually, I need you to help me," Tucker told him. "We found Vlad's portal. It's shielded from ghosts and humans and even all solid objects, but we figured out how to take out the generator with this." He held up his new little pet. "When the skeleton warriors come through, they'll have to drop the shield. Then this little drone can slip past them and target the generator. But with Aragon taking out all the tech, we need you to make it work."

Technus raised his arm, which glowed blue-white, then emitted a bright beam of light. It focused on the drone in Tucker's hand, then snatched it away from him and drew it into Technus's waiting palm like a tractor beam in a sci-fi movie. A smile curled on the techno-ghost's face. "Ah, yes. This will do nicely."

"And while you take care of the portal, I want to find my _dear_ brother." Dora again addressed Valerie. "Do you know where he is?"

"I do," Mr. Fenton replied. "Or at least where he was seen last. I'll take you there. I need to find out what's keeping my wife anyway. She should've been back by now."

"What should the rest of us do in the meantime?" Mrs. Manson asked.

Valerie put her hands on her hips. "Get ready to kick some skeleton ghost butt."

Sam's grandma pumped her hand in the air, taking up the rallying cry. "Power to the people!"

Tucker wasn't sure whether to be inspired or amused as the room started to fill with that sort of anticipatory buzz that came with getting ready for a big fight, until a knock on the door cut through it, startling them. Tucker hoped it was his parents—he hadn't seen them since he left the house early this morning.

But when Jazz called through the door asking who it was, it wasn't the voice of either of his parents that responded. "It's me, Jasmine. Mr. Lancer."

She opened the door, and Tucker tried not to grimace as his vice principal stepped into the foyer. "Hello, everyone. I hope I'm not intruding, but I couldn't help but notice we have another green dome covering the town, in addition to all the power being out, even cell phones and battery-operated devices. I couldn't even get my car to start and had to walk over here. I had a feeling you might know what's going on."

"Come in, Mr. Lancer. Yes, we do know what's going on." Jazz closed the door behind him.

"Told you people would start showing up here." Mr. Fenton turned to his daughter. "Jazzy-pants, you hold down the fort here, get weapons distributed to anyone who wants 'em. Come on, Dora. You and me got a ghost dragon to catch." Then, realizing she was also a ghost dragon, he winced. "Er, I mean an evil ghost dragon. The good ones are fine."

Dora said nothing, but followed him out the door. As she passed Mr. Lancer, he frowned, then his eyes widened. "She's a ghost?"

"Got a problem with that?" Technus looked like he was considering hurling a lamp or something at him, so Tucker intervened.

"They're the ghosts on our side, Mr. Lancer. And we've gotta get down to the Nasty Burger and get set up before the skeleton warriors come pouring through. Right, Technus?"

Technus shrugged. "Fine."

"We'll head down there as soon as we get everyone geared up," Valerie told him. Tucker nodded and turned toward the door, but she stopped him. "And Tucker?"

He turned around.

"Be careful." Her green eyes locked onto his with a look that made his knees feel like Jell-O. Then, the moment was gone, and her usual bite was back. "I don't want to have to save your skinny butt from any skeleton warriors."

A broad grin broke out on his face. "Got it."

As he and Technus opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, they found Dash Baxter, Kwan, and about half a dozen other Casper High jocks on the sidewalk coming up the steps. Glad he was leaving, Tucker jerked his head toward the door. "Go on in. They'll get you up to speed."

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Danny looked up from a scroll he was skimming as Sam came back into the reading room and dumped what looked to be another metric ton of reading materials—everything from more scrolls to ancient-looking leather-bound volumes to some kind of computerized reader that would have had Tucker drooling—onto the rustic wooden table in front of him.

"Are you kidding me? How are we supposed to get through all this stuff before the ice starts melting?"

Sam sat down in a chair across from him. "Shouldn't be as daunting as it looks. All of these are books about the mystical or scientific properties of various crystals, minerals, and gemstones. We just have to look up purple sapphires and see what they say."

Danielle, seated a quarter of the way around the table between Danny and Sam grunted, pushing aside a device that resembled an electronic book reader. "Easy for you to say. I just spent twenty minutes trying to decipher this scientific information about the thermal conductivity of different materials, and I still don't know what it means. I'm suddenly missing the Cram-Tastic Mark Five."

"Forget the science stuff." Sam slid a heavy book across to her. "There are a million different kinds of material that are good heat conductors if that's all Vlad was looking for. There has to be something special about these stones."

"I've already read half a dozen books about mystical or magical properties of crystals and there's nothing about sapphires except healing and communication. And that's mostly the blue ones."

"Maybe we're going at this from the wrong angle." Danny leaned back in his seat. "If all he'd done is make some sort of giant blow dryer to heat up the ice and melt it, Frostbite would be able to track the source. But that's not what's happening. No heat source, it's just... warmer."

Sam rested her chin on her hand, her eyes thoughtful. "Maybe you're right. We're trying to figure out what's special about the sapphires. Maybe we need to look at climate change."

"Well, that's your area of expertise. What causes global warming?"

"Greenhouse gasses, mostly. Stuff that gets in the atmosphere and traps heat in, like carbon dioxide. I somehow don't think that's a huge problem in the Far Frozen."

"Even though their population exploded overnight? They went from hundreds of snow creatures to millions of ghosts of every kind."

"That still wouldn't affect the temperature that dramatically all at once. With global warming, we're talking an average temperature rise of less than a degree over a hundred years, not twenty degrees in twenty-four hours. That's not climate change, that's a change in the weather."

"Except this is the Ghost Zone. It's cold here because of some kind of symbiotic relationship between Frostbite's people's powers and the land. There's no weather in the Ghost—"

He stopped short, and Sam's head snapped up and she met his eyes, obviously thinking the same thing he was. "Weather ghost."

Danny wanted to pound on his own head with the heaviest book Sam had dumped on the table. "Tell me we are not this stupid."

"You said he was locked up, right? The Guys in White—"

"Shut down my dad's portal because they got attacked last night. O. was having a cow about it, almost let something slip about what happened there until K. stopped him with his tirade about all the ghosts causing chaos in the streets."

He groaned as he remembered everything the two government agents had let slip without him even noticing. "We _are_ this stupid. We were wondering why the Fright Knight wasn't there last night, but K. said he was. Skeletons, dragons, and a _knight_. The mall, the sapphires, _that_ was the distraction. While we were busy being led around by the nose over at the mall, the Fright Knight was hitting the real target—the penitentiary where the Guys and White were holding Vortex."

Danielle looked between them. "The weather ghost? Are you sure? 'Cause we don't have time for any more dead ends."

"No, I'm not sure, but it makes more sense than anything else we've found."

"Danny, if it is Vortex doing this..." Sam pushed aside two piles of books and scrolls, pulling out one of the data readers and clicking through to a page on weather. "He can do a lot more than just raise the temperature a degree at a time. He could make it tropical, whip up a massive hurricane, speed up the ice melting and cause massive floods." She put data reader down. "He could also make a lightning storm and take out the shields, leaving the Far Frozen completely defenseless."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-two**

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Like everything else in Amity Park since the dome had appeared, the Nasty Burger was dark and empty, its interior lit only by the green glow outside. It smelled different, too. The oil was cooling in the fryer and starting to congeal instead of sizzling fries, and burgers sat under a nonfunctional heating lamp. Tucker was tempted to grab a couple since they were going to waste anyway and dinner had been three hours ago, but Technus wasn't interested in stopping for food.

"Which way?" He shined some sort of high-beam flashlight into Tucker's eyes, the contrast with the darkness everywhere else nearly blinding him.

"Ow! Point that thing somewhere else, wouldja?" When Technus lowered the light, Tucker motioned toward the back office. "There's an entrance to the tunnel back in the manager's office. You can phase us down through there. That way, if Vlad's skeleton drones are already coming through, we won't just pop out in the middle of them."

Technus nodded, turning in the direction he'd indicated. Tucker had to jog to catch up to him. "The office is right around that corner—"

"_YAAAAAIIIIIEEEEE__!"_

Tucker jumped back, startled, as something shrieked and leapt out at them from the hallway, swinging what looked like a huge bag of frozen burger patties at Technus.

"Stay away from the Nasty Sauce! I'll protect it with my life!"

Technus went intangible, and the bag of patties hit the wall with a sound that was somewhere between a hard thud and a squish.

"Irving? Is that you?" Tucker squinted, trying to see in the darkness.

Technus became tangible once more and flashed his light in his attacker's face, revealing that it was, indeed, Irving Burns. Indignant, the ghost snorted. "How dare you come after me with your bag of thawing frozen meat product, human! I'll—"

"Technus, stop!" Tucker grabbed his arm as he raised it to do who knew what to the hapless store manager. "Irving, it's Tucker. Mayor Foley."

Irving took two staggering steps backwards, trying to get out of the blinding beam of light Technus was holding, but Technus merely followed him with it. Irving put up his hand to block the glare, blinking so fast it almost looked like Morse code. "Mayor Foley? Is that a... a _ghost_?"

"I am Technus! Master of all—"

"Yes, but he's a good guy. Uh, sort of. For now, anyway. What are you doing here? Why didn't you go home when the power went out?"

"And leave the Nasty Sauce unprotected?"

Tucker wasn't sure whether to pity the guy's pathetic life or admire his resolution. The Nasty Sauce was pretty, well, _nasty_ when it got overheated, and highly combustible. Not that that was likely with all the power out. "You should go home, Irving. The Nasty Sauce isn't gonna overheat and explode—the heating elements aren't working."

"Then, why are you here? This isn't the health inspection, is it? It's not our fault the power went out, and I was gonna throw the food away, not try and reheat it when the power comes on or anything."

Irving's nervous laugh was almost enough to make Tucker reconsider his favorite burger joint. "Dude, chill. If this were a health inspection, would I have brought a ghost? There's a ghost portal under this restaurant. That's how all those skeleton warriors keep getting into the town. We're here to close it up."

Even in the gloom, Tucker could see Irving's eyes widen. "A ghost portal? Under _my_ restaurant?"

"Yeah. And we need to close it up, so..."

"Where is it?"

"Underground. We found an entrance in your office when Valerie was cleaning out the storage closet this afternoon."

"Under my office?"

"Are we going to stand around talking all day, child, or are we going to get this portal shut down?"

Tucker leveled a look at Technus over the tops of his glasses. "Really? You of all people—ghosts—whatever—are worried _we're_ talking too much?" But he had a point. "Irving, we really need to get on this now. You can go home. The Nasty Sauce will be fine."

"I can't go home, not while the Nasty Burger is in danger of being raided by ghosts!" He got a tighter grip on his bag of thawing burgers. "Besides, I've never seen a ghost portal before."

Tucker sighed. Where was this kind of curiosity this afternoon when he had Valerie primed for a fake-out make-out? "Dude, I'm the mayor and a trained ghost fighter." Helping Danny for almost three years had to count as on-the-job training, right? "We've got this. Just go home."

"Nothing doing. This store, number oh-one-ten of the Nasty Burger Franchise, is my responsibility. If there's a ghost portal underneath her, I need to see it."

"Oh, for crying out loud, let the greasy little human come. He'll be an excellent diversion when the skeleton warriors come through. While they're picking the flesh from his bones, we'll have time to slip our little mouse droid in unnoticed."

"Pick the flesh...? Uh, on second thought, I'd better not leave the Nasty Sauce unattended. You go ahead. I'll stay up here."

"Have it your way." He glanced over his shoulder toward the kitchen. "Uh, since you're just gonna have to throw all these burgers out anyway, mind if I...?"

"I'm pretty sure the health inspector would say they've been at room temperature too long."

"Pffft. Health inspector. I didn't have time to call him anyway. Let's say I get a couple of those burgers that were gonna go to waste anyway, and I forget all about the health inspector."

Irving looked around him as if checking for hidden cameras before leaning down to whisper in Tucker's ear. "Deal."

* * *

Tucker was halfway through his first Nasty with Bacon when Technus phased them down through the floor of the office into the tunnel at the bottom of the staircase. It was deserted, which meant the skeleton warriors hadn't started coming through yet, so that was good news. But the little lights that lined the walkway were dark, like the rest of Amity Park, making Tucker rethink their theory about the portal being an exception to the no-tech zone. Technus, however, looked pleased. "Ah, power. Can you feel it?"

"Uh... no."

Technus snorted as he shone his light down the hall to the door at the end. "And you call yourself a technophile. There's electricity, ectoplasm, all humming and dancing beyond that door. Your little Ghost Hunter friend would feel it."

"Yeah, well, I don't have a metric ton of ghost weaponry hard-wired into my body. But I'll take your word for it."

"No need to take my word for it. You can see for yourself." Technus raised his arm, the one not holding the light, and shot out a bolt of blue-white lightning. It hit the electronic keypad on the door, making it glow white, then green, then the door slid open. Beyond it, the chamber with the portal was perfectly well lit.

Pushing past the techno-ghost, Tucker jogged to the open doorway. Rapping on what looked like empty space, he saw blue sparks and felt as if he were knocking on solid glass, confirming the shield was still operational. The blast doors were sealed shut over the portal door—more good news. As Technus joined him, Tucker pointed into the room. "There's the generator, attached to the control panel for the portal. That's what we need to take out. But we can't get our little robot drone in there until someone comes through and takes the shield down.

Technus nodded, then held out his hand. "Give me the drone."

Tucker slipped his backpack off one shoulder and swung it around so he could reach inside, pulling out the little device, which he handed to Technus. The ghost held it up in his hand, creating another blue-white glow that enveloped his arm and the little robot. After a moment, the drone began glowing green, and Technus set it on the floor and motioned at it with his finger. As if following a command, it scooted across the floor toward the door, bumping into the shield and setting off another shower of blue sparks.

"Told you."

"Hush, child!" Technus motioned with his finger again, like the Dog Whisper motioning to a Chihuahua, and the mouse-like robot backed away from the shield and rolled into a corner beyond the door, hidden in the shadows. "All set. We can wait up in that horrid little office, and when the shields come down, I'll be able to able to sense it. Then I'll send this little guy in, and budda bing, budda boom, no more generator. The portal will shut down, and any skeleton warriors who haven't gotten through will be stuck on the other side."

"Perfect. I guess we go upstairs and wait, then."

* * *

_**917 Maple Street  
Amity Park**_

In theory, riding a dragon above the streets of Amity Park was one of the coolest things Jack had ever done. In practice, it was the most terrifying, nauseating, and hellish few minutes of his life.

Not that it wasn't smarter than walking the mile up Maple Street to the source of the crazy ghost dome, but Dora's back was slippery, her scaly neck didn't give his hands any sort of purchase, the duffel bag loaded with a crossbow and battle ax hanging off his back was messing with his center of gravity, and only her shoulders and wings were keeping him from sliding all the way down her back and off her tail to go splat on the sidewalk fifty feet below him.

Leaning forward along her neck, he tried to get a better grip. "You sure you're flying low enough? I don't want to miss Maddie if she's headed home, especially in the dark."

"And I don't want to crash into any buildings. Don't worry, my night vision is excellent. I haven't seen anyone on the streets."

"Allrighty, then. The house should be just ahead, at the top of the hill."

"Yes, I can see the source of the dome. My brother did this with the Fright Knight's sword? Like when the Ghost King was here?"

"That's what Danny said. I—" Jack stopped short as the house came into view. But it wasn't the sight of the haunted-looking abandoned house that made his blood feel like it had just frozen in his veins. It was—he didn't know what it was, actually. Just the very strong and very certain sense that something was very, very, deeply wrong. "Dora, stop."

"We're almost—"

"Stop!"

She reared up to slow down her momentum, then touched down on her hind legs on the street about a block away from the house. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just got a really bad feeling..." He slid off of Dora's back, his duffel bag slipping off his shoulder and clattering to the street beside him. As he crouched down to unzip it, he saw movement up ahead, a green glow that was different than the smoky-green of the dome. He looked up to get a better look at the source of the movement, although he already knew what it was. About two dozen skeleton warriors poured out of the doors of 917 Maple Street, bony arms raised high as they shouted out a battle cry.

His hand curled around the handle of the ax and he jerked it from the duffel bag. "Heads up, we've got company!"

* * *

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

They'd barely phased back into the manager's office from the tunnel below when Tucker saw Technus freeze.

"What?"

A smile curled onto his green face. "The portal just opened. I sense a lot of ghosts coming through. Show time."

* * *

_**Unknown Realm  
The Ghost Zone**_

He was bored. After several months locked away in a human-made jail cell, he was finally free, free to wreak havoc on the world that had tried to contain him. But what was he doing? Floating behind yet another closed door above some frozen wasteland in the far reaches of the Ghost Zone, raising the temperature by fractions of degrees.

He should be causing maelstroms at sea and tornadoes on land, blizzards in the tropics and flash floods in the poles. He should be raining down hail so large it could down skyscrapers in New York and tsunamis so tall they reached lands hundreds of miles inland from any ocean.

But he was here, waiting for the hive mind of those skeletons to give notice that the _thing_ that had once been the mere halfbreed ghost who called himself Vlad Plasmius was allowing him to unleash his full fury, not on the Earth, but on the one tiny realm that lay beyond a single purple door.

For not the first time in the past twenty-four hours, he flexed fingers, feeling them strain against his black gloves. It would be so easy. One little twitch. One nod of his head, the slightest inclination of his will, and he could unleash a storm so furious that the entire Ghost Zone would tremble.

But he felt more than just his gloves in his fingers. He could feel the tingling still there, a remnant of... whatever it was Plasmius had done to him. What had he called it? Ectoranium? Another minute under that onslaught and he would have ceased to exist.

So he waited. Waited for his cue. Plasmius had promised him the world to do with as he pleased once he was finished here. All he had to do was be patient and wait for his cue, have a little fun here, and then he would be free.

Behind him, he felt a stirring. The skeletons were getting restless, too. Unless...

Then, he saw it. The skeleton at the head of the group, the one dressed in fatigues and a helmet that looked like it came from the first World War, raised his rifle over his head and let out a shout. The other skeletons, thousands upon thousands of them, followed suit, raising weapons that ranged from Viking swords to modern-day assault rifles and letting out a war cry that reverberated under the dark sky of whatever this realm was.

Smiling, Vortex burst through the purple door into the Ghost Zone proper and flew up just in time to avoid being crushed by the stampede of skeletons charging though behind and below him, shouting their battle cry as they flew toward the frozen realm that floated below them like a glittering diamond. Flexing his fingers, Vortex let the energy he'd been holding back finally build up.

It was going to be a beautiful storm.

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

By the time Danny had located Frostbite, Skulker, and Ember, he would have sworn that he could actually feel the temperature as it rose. Sam still needed her coat and the snow hadn't actually started melting yet, which meant it was just a trick of the mind, but how much warmer had it really gotten in the time it had taken to find everyone and share what they'd learned?

Danny, Sam, and Danielle were following Frostbite across the village square, making hurried plans as they headed toward the Defense Center. Skulker and Ember were already out spreading the word to the rest of the ghosts that they needed to be ready to flee or fight. While ghosts were generally more about self-preservation than causes, there really wasn't any place left to flee _to_, so the general consensus was that most would fight.

"What about the ghosts that can't fight?" Sam asked. She carefully avoided looking in Danielle's direction, but he knew her concerns went beyond that. He kept picturing that helpless baby the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady had been cooing over just a few days ago.

"They can seek shelter in our caverns, Sam of the Very Vegan."

Sam met Danny's eye with a questioning look, and he knew she was wondering if the cave walls would be enough to shield Danielle from the effects the skeleton warriors had on her. He tried not to let frustration overwhelm him as he gave her a slight shrug. What else could they do? They'd run out of places to run, same as all the other ghosts.

Instead, he forced himself to focus on what they could do—find and fight Vortex. "If it is Vortex raising the temperature, we're on a tight time schedule here. He's too hard to beat using conventional strategies—the only thing that really works on him is, well, fighting weather with weather. So we've gotta find him while you and your people still have some of your ice powers. We know he can't get into the Far Frozen, and he tends to operate from the skies above, like any other weather system, so he must be somewhere out in the Ghost Zone above the Far Frozen."

"I have already sent Hailstone to muster our warriors and prepare our hovercraft to begin the search, Great One. Our defense system monitors the areas of the Ghost Zone immediately adjacent to our realm, but there are many doors to many other realms nearby, any one of which would make an excellent hiding place, and our sensors cannot pierce those. But our people are many as well. We shall search door-to-door and will find him quickly. But..." He paused, stopping at the edge of the square to turn and face Danny. "Can we be sure it truly is the weather ghost? A wild grouse chase could cost us precious time and resources."

Danny sighed. "No, we can't be sure, but—"

The sky darkened so suddenly Danny thought someone had turned out the lights—until he remembered they were outside. Looking up, he saw dark clouds in what was usually a pristine, purple sky. It was startling enough that ghosts in the square all around them were stopping and looking up.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder. Danny's eyes met Sam's as the sky opened up and rain—not snow, not even sleet, but rain—began to fall.

"And now, we can."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-three**

_**917 Maple Street  
Amity Park**_

"Where's my brother?"

Jack knew the question wasn't for him, but rather for the skeleton ghost Dora was clutching in her right foreclaw, so he ignored it. Besides, he was busy with a couple of skeletons of his own. A quick swing of his ax felled another one... was that three now? Four?

The more pressing question to his mind was where was Maddie? He'd thought they'd see her headed home, but they didn't. And he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had hit him like a brick between the eyes just before the skeletons attacked. Had she been so intent on whatever secrets this house held to Vlad's power that she'd investigated on her own after Danny left?

_WHACK._ Another skeleton down. Counting the six—no, seven—Dora had taken out, they'd gone through roughly half of the warriors who had come out of the house. The rest of them seemed to be running away, probably headed into town to join up with their comrades who would be coming through Vladdy's ghost portal. Hopefully Tucker and that techno-ghost would be quick getting it shut down.

"WHERE IS MY BROTHER?" Dora was shaking the skeleton in her claw now, but as far as Jack knew, the skeletons didn't talk. They grunted and shouted war cries, but he'd never heard any words—

_Doesn't matter._He wanted to get into that house and look for Maddie, and with the skeletons scattering, he had a clear shot. He didn't get far, however, when the front door burst open and two figures—human, but that's all he could make out—ran out.

"Maddie?"

"Jack!"

His heart sunk. Not Maddie's voice, but Angela Foley's. And behind her, Maurice. "Angie? Maury? What are you doing here? I thought you two cleared out."

Maurice nodded, looking more than a little frazzled. "We did, but we came back when we saw the Fright Knight headed here. We got back as fast as we could to try and warn them. Snuck into the house, even, but by the time we found them, it was too late. There were skeletons everywhere. It's all happening right _now_. All those skeleton ghosts, they're attacking, all at once. Not just here, but in the Far Frozen, too. It's already started!"

"The Far Frozen? They're attacking there, too?"_ Danny and Danielle... _Jack shook it off. Danny could handle it. Amity Park was where his focus needed to be. And Maddie. If she wasn't in that house with the Foleys... did she maybe see what they saw and go after the skeletons by herself? It would be just like her. "You didn't see Maddie, by any chance, did you? She was here with Danny when the power went out. If she went after those skeletons, we'd better shake a tail feather and help her out."

"Jack, wait." Angela exchanged a nervous glance with her husband, then her eyes flicked down and she looked almost... guilty. "We should have tried to stop him. We wanted to, but we didn't know _how_. We thought we might make it worse, and the stuff they were talking about. It was so _awful_. We had no idea—" She stopped short, embarrassed, now. "Well, it's none of our business. But then, it all happened so fast, and he just sounded so _crazy_. Even more than before, I mean. I think he's really losing it."

Jack frowned. "Who? Was that dragon ghost here, too?"

She shook her head. "Jack, no. It's _Vlad_."

* * *

_**FentonWorks  
Amity Park**_

Valerie couldn't believe how many people were randomly showing up at FentonWorks. First Mr. Lancer, then Dash and his cronies, some of her dad's coworkers from Axion, Paulina and Starr with a few of the other so-called "A-List" girls, some cops and firefighters she recognized from City Hall and the mall. All converging on FentonWorks as if it were an oasis in the desert, until they were filling the sidewalks and spilling out into the streets in front of the house and around the corner.

With the Ghost King, it had made sense to come here. FentonWorks had been shielded and Mr. and Mrs. Fenton had broadcast throughout the city that they were a safe haven. But now, there were no communications, no way of coordinating efforts. And yet, just as Mr. Fenton had predicted, a good chunk of the town was showing up on his doorstep.

Their little team—herself, her dad, Jazz, and the Mansons—were busy handing out weapons, giving hurried explanations of what was happening and what to expect. But it wasn't until Stan, one of her coworkers at the Nasty Burger, arrived on his bicycle that Valerie started to feel a real sense of urgency.

"Ghosts! Down at the park!" Stan hopped off his bike, dropping it in the street. "Just like last night, they're swarming the streets!"

_Tucker..._

Valerie squashed the flicker of worry. That was the plan. The skeletons had to come through before they could try and shut down the portal. Now he just had to shut it down quickly to keep the numbers as low as possible. _And don't get dead. Or I'm gonna kill you._

Stan's announcement got the crowd's attention. They quieted down, and Valerie realized they were all starting to look to her. She was standing on the top of the front porch steps showing Starr how to swing a crowbar like a bo staff, all the while praying that her helmet visor was darkened enough her former best friend wouldn't recognize her. But standing up above the crowd as she was, dressed in a battle suit, she seemed to be the acknowledged resident ghost expert, and they were looking at her, expectant, as if she were supposed to give them some great motivational speech or something.

_How does Danny do it?_

She coughed. "Okay, then. Time to get on downtown and show these bonehead creeps whose town this is!"

Paulina, ever the cheerleader, took up the cry. "Whose town is it?"

The crowd cried out as one. "Ours!"

"I can't hear you!"

"OURS!"

There were times when Valerie missed being friends with Paulina. Not many, but there were times... Getting into the spirit, she pumped her arm into the air. "Let's kick some bony skeleton butt!"

A roar rose up from the crowd as it began moving towards downtown and the park. Starr took her crowbar, raised it over her head, and let out a cry like she was Xena the Warrior Princess before leaping down the steps and into mob.

Paulina, however, pushed her way through the crowd toward the steps and called out to Valerie. "Hey, Ghost Hunter Girl or whatever! Don't think all that fancy equipment and junk makes you special. When the Ghost Boy gets here, he's gonna see what a _real_ woman can do, without hiding behind all that unsightly armor." And with a flip of her hair, she turned on her heel and joined the crowd.

So much for missing being friends with Paulina.

Shaking her head, Valerie clicked her heels, calling her sled into being beneath her feet. Before she could kick down on the throttle, however, she felt a hand on her arm, and she turned to find herself face-to-face with her father.

"Be careful, baby girl."

"I'm more worried about you, Daddy. I have a lot more protection."

"Just the way I like it."

He let go of her arm and headed down the steps and into the crowd. Valerie was about to go for the throttle again when a blue dragon came flying over Maple Street towards them. Out of the corner of her eye, Valerie saw a couple of crossbows in the crowd pop up, taking aim, and she waved her arm, crying out. "No! Don't shoot the dragon! She's on our side!"

Fortunately, the momentum of the mob was headed downtown, and the dragon didn't look like it was about to attack, so crossbows were lowered without incident, and Dora came into land in a clear spot on the street in the opposite direction from where the crowd was moving. Something slid off her back—no, three somethings—and Valerie realized it was Mr. Fenton and what looked like Tucker's parents.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Mr. Fenton started sprinting toward the house faster than Valerie would have thought a man of his size could manage. As he reached the back end of the crowd still in the streets, he pushed his way through, shoving people aside in his haste to get to the door.

Valerie waited for him to reach the porch. "Skeletons have been spotted down by park. I'm headed down there now—"

"You, stay." He pointed a meaty finger at her, and Valerie almost took a step back off her sled. Normally one of the most exuberant, almost childlike-gleeful people she'd ever know, Mr. Fenton now had a look in his eyes so dark and full of rage she would have feared for her life if it hadn't been clear his anger wasn't directed at her.

"What's—?"

"Stay here. I need you." Pushing past her, he went inside the house, mumbling. "Weapons, heavy weapons. Fenton Phaser? Not enough. Blaster? No. Bazooka. Ghost Gauntlets, Ghost Peeler. I'll peel that S.O.B., all right."

Frowning, Valerie made her sled disappear again and followed Mr. Fenton inside, beginning to wonder if he was being overshadowed. "Mr. Fenton, is everything okay? You know none of those weapons will actually work, right?" She pointed upwards. "Dome? No tech?"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "That's where you come in. Just stay here. I'll be right back."

"But what are you doing?"

"I'm going after Vlad."

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

The rain was a deluge, coming down so hard that Danny had to shout just to hear his own voice over it, let alone for anyone else to hear him. "We've gotta get the ghosts who can't fight to shelter!"

Frostbite, his fur matted down so that he looked like some weird cross between an anorexic polar bear and one of those strange Chinese dogs who were bald except for their heads and tails, tried without success to wipe wet fur out of his eyes. "Our caverns are our shelter, but the vast majority of them are low in the village or underground. In these conditions, I fear they will flood."

He wasn't wrong. The snow at Danny's feet was already turning to slush.

Sam pointed up to the mountains surrounding the village. "We need to get to higher ground. Are there any paths up into the mountains, or are they all cliffs?" Her coat, made to guard against dry cold, not water, was already soaked through, and her hair was plastered to her face.

Lightning lit up the sky, and another crack of thunder sounded like an explosion. Frostbite shielded his eyes from the water as he scanned the mountains. "There are caves higher up in the hills, but there are other dangers." Raising his ice claw, he pointed up at one of the mountains.

Danny squinted through the torrent, then finally saw what Frostbite was talking about. Snow was crashing down the mountainside, almost like grayish-white lava rolling down the side of a volcano. "Avalanche?"

"Indeed. The rain is making the snow pack unstable, and I fear we can expect many more avalanches. However, the caves are interconnected and can be reached from inside, and if the wind conditions prevail, these hills on the leeward side might offer protection from both the storm and avalanches, while being high enough to stay above any flooding."

As Frostbite pointed to the hills on the opposite side of the village from the avalanche, Danny saw the water running off his frozen arm, and a horrifying thought hit him. "Frostbite, your arm! Will it...?"

"Melt?" Frostbite supplied the word Danny couldn't bring himself to say. "The ice of my arm is connected to my powers and not generally subject to the elements, which is why I can safely come to the Human World, even in the summer. But as the Realm weakens, and my powers along with it..." He gave a sort of a shrug. "But we have more pressing concerns. Your companions should waste no time getting to shelter."

Danielle shook her head. "No. There's nowhere left to hide. I wanna help defend this place. I _need_ to help."

So many emotions played through Danny's heart he could barely sort them all out. Relief that her spark had returned, overcoming her fear of Vlad. Despair at her words, that there was no place left to hide, nowhere to retreat and regroup. Fear that this would be their last stand, that without anywhere left to go, they would all fall.

And she would be the first. "How are you going to fight, Danielle? Those skeletons get near you, and you'll barely be able to stand."

"What choice do I have? I can't do _nothing_."

Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "There's a lot between fighting and nothing, Danielle. Like Danny said, not all these ghosts can defend themselves. They'll need help to get to safety, someone to look out for them. That's where we're needed."

Before Danielle could respond, lightning forked through the sky behind her, hitting one of the caves in a shower of sparks, accompanied by a deafening crash of thunder.

"That was the Archives," Frostbite informed them. "A hit like that to the Defense Center, and the shields will be gone."

Danny looked toward the caverns that held the Defense Center. "That's obviously Vortex's goal, but maybe there's a way we can—" He frowned as a new sound rose over the thunder and rain. Something like an engine. "Does that sound like your hover cars, Frostbite?"

"No. Our hovercraft have ion engines. You couldn't hear them over the storm. That sounds more like—"

"A jet engine. We've got incoming!" Shielding his eyes from the rain, Danny scanned the horizon as the engine noise got louder. When he found the source, coming from the direction of the entrance to the realm, his eyes widened in surprise. "Valerie?"

Her jet sled came speeding toward them, but the rain impeded Danny's vision so much that it was only when she'd arrived at the village square and was circling to land that he realized she wasn't alone. A mammoth figure was clinging to her from behind. When she landed and her passenger stepped off, letting a large duffel fall bag at his feet so he could remove his helmet, Danny's jaw dropped. _"Dad?"_

"What the hell happened here?" Valerie asked. "Where'd this storm come from? And did you know there's about a zillion skeleton warriors surrounding this realm? We had to fight through a few dozen of 'em to get to the entrance."

"Yeah, we know. Vlad had Vortex broken out of the custody from the Guys in White so he could make this storm, melt the ice, and take out the shields so the skeleton warriors can invade. But what are you doing here? Did you already beat 'em all back in Amity Park?"

"Barely got started. I just came for the delivery, but it looks like maybe you need some firepower here after all."

Before Danny could even protest, his dad shook his head. "No. Danny was right before, you're still the only person on that side who can open a portal. Can't afford to have Amity Park cut off. Go back, but use the Porta-Portal Danny brought with him. The one on your sled is only calibrated to open in a specific location in the Ghost Zone. No telling where in the Human World it'll open up, unless you open it from the same place we just came through, and I don't think you want to fight your way through those skeletons again."

"No thanks. I'll save that for when I get back home." She glanced at Danielle. "If you're sure you're good here."

Dani nodded. "Sam and I are gonna help the ghosts who can't fight get to shelter."

When Sam added an encouraging smile, that seemed to satisfy Valerie, and she turned to Danny. "Okay, then, Phantom. Open up a portal."

Danny tried without success to absorb everything that was happening. "Just hold on a minute. Would somebody please tell me what the _hell_ is going on? Why are you even here?"

"Your dad wanted to come." She leaned in a little closer to him. "No idea what set him off. Personally, I think he's nuts, but maybe you can talk him out of it."

"Talk him out of what?"

"Just open the portal, son, so she can go back."

It was then that Danny saw the look in his father's eyes. Dark, furious and... _cold_. Danny had never seen anything like that look on his father's face. Without another word, he slipped off his backpack, pulled out the Porta-Portal, and thumbed the trigger.

Valerie looked from Danny's dad back to Danny. "Good luck. And be careful, 'kay?" Then, she kicked the throttle on her sled, shot through the portal, and was gone.

Danny closed the portal and shoved the device back into his bag as he looked at his dad. "What's wrong? What did Vlad do?" It had to be Vlad. Only Vlad could cause a look like _that_.

His father clenched and unclenched his fists, his jaw tight. "We have to go after him. Now. He goes down _tonight_."

"Dad, what did he do?"

"The Foleys saw the whole thing. It was the Fright Knight's sword. It doesn't kill you, right?" He grabbed Danny by the shoulders, almost hard enough to hurt. "Tell me it doesn't kill you, it's not too late. You said it sends you to some fear dimension, right? And when we get Vlad, that'll reverse it? We just have to beat Vlad, _now_."

Danny's heart seized up in his chest. "Right, it doesn't kill you, it sends you to a dimension where you live out your worst fears." The sword's name suddenly popped into his head, sounding more ominous than it ever had before. _The Soul Shredder._ "Why? Who did he get? Who did he stab with that sword?"

But he already knew. If he and Danielle and his dad were all here, there was really only one person it could be.

"Your mother, Danny. He took your mother."


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-four**

_**The Ghost Zone**_

It was ironic that this moment, more than twenty years after a freak accident turned him into a half ghost and nearly a year after an even more bizarre collision with an ectoranium asteroid turned him into this new, higher being, that Vlad felt more alive than any other moment in his existence.

He reveled in it as he moved through the Ghost Zone in mist form, insubstantial and undetectable. She was his. Finally his. Free of that oaf she'd been tricked into marrying, free of the children who weighed her down and kept her from rising to the sublime heights that should have been hers.

Free.

And when he joined her, they would be free together, and the Ghost Zone and the Human World would unfurl before them like a red carpet. It was all theirs, every last bit of it.

And she was his.

Every detail had gone exactly as he'd planned. Trapped in her marriage and her shell of a life, she couldn't seek him out directly, but she'd been studying him, enthralled by his new form, his new abilities. Years with her idiot husband had failed to dull her brilliant edge, and she'd come close, so close to discovering what fed his power, what sustained him—besides her, of course.

So he'd fed her the last piece of the puzzle, getting Aragon to call that Ghost Hotline to report that skeleton warriors had been sighted at the house on 917 Maple Street. It was the house where the Fright Knight's sword had once created an ecto-storm, calling the dark energy from its home realm and bringing it into the Human World, and he knew she'd understand what that meant.

She hadn't come alone—naturally, her clingy, smothering family wouldn't have allowed it, although it was a stroke of luck that she'd manage to shake all of them but Daniel. And he was easy, so easy to get rid of. It took almost no effort for Vlad to turn the boy's focus solely, almost obsessively to Danielle, made in his image in what was Vlad's penultimate attempt to make him his heir to all the powers that could have been at his fingertips.

What Daniel failed to realize, however, was that Vlad had since given up on him. Despite whatever of his mother's blood flowed in his veins, despite the ghost energy that was imprinted on his DNA, he was a lost cause, too much his father to ever live up to the potential he might otherwise have had. And if Daniel was no longer of interest to him, then certainly Danielle had no value whatsoever, beyond a very convenient distraction to keep the boy's attention away from his mother.

So, exactly as Vlad knew he would, Daniel had left, and Maddie had finally been left unguarded, free to come to him at last.

And come to him she did.

She'd snuck into the house, perhaps unsure of the reception she would receive. She had wasted twenty years they could have been together after all. But when she entered the study where he waited, he welcomed her with open arms, forgiving her her past mistakes and ready to begin the life that was finally before them.

"Maddie." He'd been in human form, the man who'd fallen in love with her more than two decades ago, and the man she had fallen for, too, however much she pretended it wasn't so.

She was startled. "Vlad."

He frowned. It was all wrong, the way she said his name, with an edge instead of the warmth he imagined when he dreamed of her whispering it. _Vlad. _Then he understood. She was still afraid, afraid that she'd been followed.

"You're safe, my dear. We're alone. I made sure of it."

She looked around, wary. "I know you have skeleton warriors here. And the Fright Knight and Aragon."

"The skeletons will keep their distance, but they will protect us. And I've sent the Fright Knight and Aragon away. But the Fright Knight did leave me a little gift."

He pulled out the sword, the Soul Shredder, from where he'd been holding it behind his back. A dazzling green broadsword with a pumpkin carved into the hilt, it truly was a magnificent weapon. Her eyes widened as they fixated on it, and he was delighted to see that after so many years, their bond was unbroken. She understood exactly its meaning.

Drinking in the sight of her, he whispered the well-remembered verses.

"_Love, that on gentle heart doth swiftly seize,  
Seized this man for the person beautiful  
That was ta'en from me, and still the mode offends me. _

_Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving,  
Seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly,  
That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me; _

_Love has conducted us unto one death;  
Caina waiteth him who quenched our life!"_

Her expression, however, did not lose its ice, despite the warmth of the poetry that so beautifully depicted their love—and their sorrows. "I was right. That _was_ Dante you bastardized for your little spell, or whatever that was."

"I took a few liberties, perhaps. In homage to you. To us."

She sighed. "You really need to get a grip, Vlad. I'm not your Francesca, and you are not my Paolo."

"Ah, but you are. You always have been." Putting his hand into his pocket, he pulled out three perfect, indigo gems. "Do you see these sapphires, Maddie? They're from a collection I've been amassing for twenty years. For you. The Francesca Collection. These three stones are the centerpiece of the entire collection. Purple sapphires to match your sapphire eyes."

He moved toward her, his hand outstretched to finally present her with the gems he'd held for her for twenty years. She twitched, as if her instinct was to back away from him, but she was overriding it, standing her ground.

Anger flared up in his chest. "You're still afraid? What have they done to you to make you so afraid? I promise you Maddie, you're safe now."

He took another step forward, and she again stood her ground. "I'm not afraid of you, Vlad. Sickened, but not afraid."

It was then that he saw that her eyes had never left the sword in his hand. She was fixated on it, like it was her salvation. _She knows. She understands everything._

And then, he sensed something else. A subtle ripple in the four skeleton warriors that waited in the shadow of the room. Something they'd picked up on through their hive mind linked to the other warriors around the house. Another intruder? He'd ordered them not to hinder anyone's approach so that Maddie could make it to the safety of the house, but what if someone had followed her?

It wasn't Daniel, he would have sensed it if the boy was back. And his gigantic oaf of a father would have made enough noise to alert the entire neighborhood if he were trying to sneak around. Jasmine, maybe? Or one of Daniel's insipid little team members sent to spy on his mother to keep her in line?

Vlad smiled. Of course. That's why she was acting this way, because she knew they'd have sent someone to watch her. No wonder she was afraid, still keeping up the farce that she remained loyal to that ox. "I promise you, my love. No one can reach you here, not when you're with me. I will never let anyone separate us again."

She seemed to consider his words a moment, her eyes still drawn to the sword. Then, she gave him a hesitant smile. "Vlad, I..."

He stepped closer to her, until he could hear her breathing, shallow breaths. "Yes, Maddie?"

Her eyes flickered from the sword to him and back. "I want you to—"

His hand brushed her face, and she jumped back, as if scalded. "No! I can't do it, not even to stop you. The day has long since passed when I could even pretend you don't disgust me." Shuddering, she took another stumbling step backwards. Everything in her face and voice had changed, and a dark fury burned in her eyes. "I know what you did to my son."

"Daniel?" He wasn't sure what she meant. "I'm sad to say, Maddie, I no longer have the slightest interest in your son. So much promise, but in the end, too much like his father."

"I'm sure he'd be proud to hear you say that. But if you're so uninterested in my son, then how do you explain your little cloning project?" He blinked in surprise, and she nodded. "I know all about that, Vlad. I know who Danielle is. Did you think you could hide it from us? Did you honestly think we wouldn't learn about her, that we wouldn't figure out who she really is? I'm a _scientist_, Vlad. I tested her DNA. I know exactly what you've done and who she is."

"A mistake, that's all. I—"

"A mistake?" Her voice rose and she took a step towards him, her stance almost threatening. "A _mistake_? She's a human being! A charming, smart, sassy, wonderful young lady whom I am thrilled to have in my life now. She may well be the one good thing that has _ever_ come out of your twisted, pathetic existence. I would almost thank you for that, if it weren't for what you did to bring her into this world."

He smiled, letting her put on her show for whoever may be watching, understanding the real meaning behind her words. Holding out his hand, he offered her the sapphires once more. "Do you know why there are three, Maddie? They represent us. You, me, and the third was for the child that was waiting for us. For a while I thought that might be Daniel, but he's not worthy of us. Let his father have him. And Danielle... she's just a pale imitation. But you and I, together we could—"

She slapped him across the face so hard he actually staggered backwards. She followed, standing tall and proud, like a Roman goddess. "You are _delusional_! How could you possibly imagine, even in your most psychotic, lunatic ravings, that I could ever feel anything other than revulsion and loathing for you after what you did to my _son?_ What you took from him? You're pathetic."

They locked eyes, and he could see the love, the passion that belied her words. Her eyes flicked once more to the sword, just for an fraction of a second, and then, with a speed and grace that almost took his breath away, she dove for it, turning on the balls of her feet, no doubt so she could use her momentum to twist the sword from his grip and flip him over her shoulder.

It was an impressive show for their audience, but she'd telegraphed well what her intentions were, and he was ready, turning to anti-ghost form and then to vapor, the sword along with him, and she was grasping at air. In an instant, he coalesced into solid form behind her, his back to her as he transformed to human once more.

"Maddie, I understand. I understand everything. There is too much in this world that will keep us apart. But like Francesca and Paolo, there is a place where we will always be together. The sword that Gianciotto intended for dividing them instead bound them together for eternity."

Spinning on his heel, he turned to face her just as she was making another lunge, this time with a small lariat attached to her wrist. He was faster, however, swinging wide with the sword, slicing across her diagonally from shoulder to waist. But as soon as the blade made contact, instead steel meeting flesh, blood, and bone, it was like slicing through a waterfall, and she disappeared.

He heard a gasp from the shadows, confirming his suspicious. He did indeed have an audience. Might as well give them the full show.

Pulling the blade up in front of him, he smiled. "We'll be together soon, Maddie, never fear." And then, amused by his own joke—never fear? She was waiting for him in the _Realm_ of Fears—he began to giggle, and his giggle turned into a full-out laugh as joy filtered through him. She was _free_. Finally, truly free.

Around him, four skeleton warriors stepped out of the shadows with a cry.

Vlad sobered. "Yes, you idiots, that was the signal! Go, attack this town! Call on your comrades waiting at the Portal to invade this world, and your comrades waiting near the Far Frozen to invade that world as well. Tonight, we take it all!"

Whoever was watching didn't attack as he evaporated into mist once more. Instead, they retreated. Hopefully to go back and share with Jack and Daniel what had happened here. He almost wished he could follow whoever it was so he could see Jack's face when he learned he'd lost her forever, that she was finally free of him.

But he couldn't. He had to move quickly to join her so she wouldn't be alone with her fears. Still an insubstantial mist, he moved out of the house, then across the town, and finally to the portal where his warriors were coming through to begin their final invasion of this wretched, wretched city.

But however wretched it was, it was now the city where he'd set her free. And now, they could begin anew, wherever they wanted. Amity Park, Wisconsin, the Ghost Zone. He would take her wherever she wanted to go. _This one, who ne'er from me shall be divided..._


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-five  
**

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Everything seemed to stop. The storm, the ghosts running everywhere, Danielle, Sam, his dad. It all just froze around Danny, as if Clockwork had stopped time, leaving him completely alone with how monumentally he had screwed up. "She told me to stay with her, and I didn't listen. She knew what the poem meant. She said it wasn't about Dani, but I wouldn't listen, and I left her alone."

"Of course it wasn't about me." Danielle's voice, harsh and bitter, cut through the ice. "It was never about me. I was just the distraction. Just like always."

And then, time moved again, bringing the rain, the lightning, the panicking ghosts, and everything as Danny turned to face the girl he was so desperate to keep safe. "I didn't protect you. I didn't bring you home when I should have, and he got to you because of it. And he knew I'd never let it happen again. He _counted_ on it, goaded me about it, even, so I'd be so focused on you I wouldn't see what he was really after."

"Frostbite, sir!" A snow creature—Hailstone, maybe?—as thoroughly drenched and bedraggled as his leader, was running toward them. "The hovercraft are ready, and our warriors stand waiting for your command to go after this weather ghost."

Frostbite nodded as another bolt of lightning split the sky. It hit the ground near one of the large cave systems, sending up another shower of sparks and... something else. Something in the air changed that Danny could sense even over the wind and the rain.

"Sir! The Defense Center!"

"I fear it was just hit, yes."

Sam tilted her face up into the rain. "There go the shields."

The world seemed to start spinning around Danny. Frostbite and Hailstone. Danielle and Sam. His Dad. His _mom_. It all became a blur, the weight of all his conflicting responsibilities crushing down on him, making it hard to breathe. Vortex, Danielle, the skeletons that would soon attack, the promise he'd made to Sam's mother, his own mother... Vlad had his _mother,_ and she was living out her worst fears, whatever those may be, _right now_—

A wet, sodden paw clamped down on his shoulder, stopping the spiral. "We can handle this weather ghost, Great One. Your fight is with the anti-ghost now. And defeating him will end this war for both our worlds." He removed his paw from Danny's shoulder and clasped his hand. "I wish you well, Danny Phantom." Then he jogged after Hailstone towards the caves they used as a garage for their hover cars, disappearing into the downpour as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

Frostbite's blessing didn't lessen the weight that was still crushing him. With every bit of ice the storm washed away, Frostbite and his people lost more of their powers, and Vortex would not be easy to defeat. Not to mention the skeletons that would be arriving at any moment.

Only, with Vlad gone, all of this could be over in one blow. But how? He turned to his dad, his brain finally starting to click into gear. "How do I defeat him? Do we have weapons that'll work against him? Do we even know where he is? You said the Foleys saw what happened? What did they tell you?"

"I've got weapons. The Fenton Bazooka, the Ghost Gloves, the Ghost Peeler. All fitted with Fenton Freeze attachments, although I'm not sure how well they'll work with the Gloves and Peeler. And the Foleys said he disappeared after he... After he used the sword on your mother. But he said something about being together with her soon. Do you know where this place is that the sword sends people?"

Danny blinked. "I didn't think it was an actual place. Tucker and Mr. Lancer both got hit with the sword. I don't know what happened to Lancer, but Tucker was on an island with no technology. And he definitely wasn't with Lancer. They both came back as soon as we defeated the Fright Knight, who was the one who got them."

"Vlad wouldn't send her somewhere he couldn't be with her."

"I'll start at the castle, then. Maybe he went back to Pariah's Keep, or there's some clue there."

His dad nodded, then bent down and picked up his duffel back. "Let's get going, then, before those skeletons get here. It'd be better if you could sneak us past them rather than wasting time fighting our way through."

"Us? Oh, no, there's no 'us.' You stay here, help Sam and Dani get the ghosts who can't defend themselves to safety. Or help Skulker and the ghosts fight off the skeletons. Either one. But you're not coming with me. I'm going after Vlad alone."

"The heck you are!"

"This is _my_ fight, Dad. I'm the one who screwed up, left Mom alone, let him lead me around by the nose and distract me with red herring after red herring. I'm the one—"

"THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU!"

Danny froze, staring at his father. He'd seen his father mad before. Scary mad, even. But never like this. Water poured off his head in rivets into eyes so dark and stormy they made the thunderstorm lashing around them seem like a spring shower.

"Dad—"

"No! This is not your fight, Danny. It never has been. It's _mine_. She's my _wife_, do you understand that? And if you wanna talk about screw-ups and who's to blame, who do you think caused the accident that made Vlad a half ghost in the first place? Who did he spend twenty years—_twenty years_—plotting revenge against? Who did he blame for stealing the love of his life? Who left him in space to get hit by the asteroid that turned him into whatever he is now?"

He threw down his duffel bag, not just dropping it on the ground, but throwing it, hard. It skipped across the slush, landing several feet in front of Danny, splashing slush onto his boots and the legs of his jumpsuit.

"You say you didn't protect Dani from him, but who didn't protect _you_? I'm your _father_, and he came after you because of _me_. Everything he's done to you, everything he put you through is because of _me_, because I didn't see—_wouldn't_ see—what he was. All because I wanted to get back a friendship that had been lost twenty years ago. That probably never existed in the first place, but I was too dumb to see it.

"So _I_ let him into your life. He became fixated on you because he wanted to take the ones I love from me like he believed I took the one he loved from him, and because you were a ghost like he was. And that was my fault, too, because I couldn't even be bothered to wire up the portal right or lock the door to the goddamn lab! And now he has my wife—_my wife_. Because _I_ was too busy messing around with weapons to go with her when she asked. So don't you dare talk about responsibility and blame, because it's all mine! Every last bit of it!"

He jabbed a finger at Danny. "I'm _inviting_ you to come with me to _my_ fight because I can't get there without you. Couldn't start the Specter Speeder back in Amity Park, so now I have no way to get to where we need to go. And I recognize that you can do things I can't. But don't think you can presume to tell me whether I can go or stay. I am your _father_ and you are my _son_ and I am telling _you_ that we are doing this together, do you understand me?"

Danny never felt so small, so... _narcissistic_ in his whole life. He _had_ been making it all about him, hadn't he? And isn't that exactly how Vlad had been able to distract him so easily? Danielle was a means to get to him, she always had been, from the very circumstances of her origins, so of course he'd assumed that Vlad must be after her. To get to him.

He'd been so absorbed with the weight he carried, with all the responsibility and all the failure he thought was his alone, even to the point of telling Sam not she nor anyone else could share it with him. He was suddenly very conscious of hers and Danielle's presence, how they had witnessed the entire dressing-down, and he was too mortified to look at either one of them.

How could he have been so focused on his burdens that he'd never even stopped to think about the weight his father carried? Vlad had been his best friend, the most important person in his world outside of his family, and he'd turned on him in every most horrible way one friend could turn on another. He'd gone after his wife, his children, his town, everything.

It had never been about Danny at all. It had always been his father that was at the center of everything Vlad had ever done. He swallowed. "Dad, I... I'm so sorry. I..."

As quickly as it had risen, his father's storm subsided. "We don't have time for sorry, son. We need to find Vlad and get your mother back from wherever she is."

He nodded, then forced himself to face Sam and Dani. "I—"

"We've got this." Danielle gave him a tight smile. "Kick Vlad's butt extra hard for me, 'kay? And go save Maddie. She's..." Danielle stopped, like she couldn't quite make the words come out.

"She's your mom, too, now."

"Kinda. I mean, not... well, you know."

"I know." Danny pulled her into a hug, pressing his face against the slick wet hood that covered her head. "I love you, Dani. Stay safe."

He felt her arms squeeze him, then she let go, moving aside to let Sam take her place.

He could barely stand to look at her. "I promised your mom..."

"No, you didn't. And this is exactly why. You knew there might be something else you'd have to do. You've gotta go after Vlad. For your mom, and for all of us." She tugged at the fingers on her left hand, then took Danny's hand and turned it over palm up so she could place something into it.

His dad's class ring.

He met her eyes, nodding in understanding. She'd done this twice before, given him back the ring to take with him when he was going off to do something stupid and dangerous. His acceptance of the ring was a promise to bring it back to her, her way of telling him without saying the words that what she really needed was for _him_ to come back to her.

Pocketing the ring, he gave her a sad smile as he toyed with the wet fur on the collar of her thoroughly soaked-through coat. "This isn't like the other times, Sam. You're in danger here, too. What can I give you that you have to promise to bring back to me so I know I'll see _you_ again?"

She stood on tiptoe so that she was eye level with him, and when she spoke, it was in a low whisper he almost couldn't hear over the storm. "You're leaving Danielle with me, aren't you? I promise I'll keep her safe and bring her back to you."

Grasping her collar in his fists, he pulled her to him and kissed her. They were both so thoroughly soaked that the sodden fur from her coat pressing against him barely registered as his hands moved from her collar to her face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. All he felt was her warmth and how much he loved her. How she'd always been there, carrying the load along with him, even when he thought he'd been refusing her. Even the stuff about Danielle, stuff that would have made any other sixteen-year-old girl on the planet run far, far away from the insane freak show that was his life.

But not Sam. Not his amazing, stubborn, insane-freak-show-loving Sam.

A cough behind Danny, along with an impatient "Geez, get a room!" from behind Sam, reminded him that they didn't have time for the lingering good-bye he would have liked, and he pulled back, reluctant and a little embarrassed, but finally able to breathe again.

"Kick that slimy sleazebag's butt a few times for me, too, while you're at it, 'kay?"

He smiled. "You got it. Oh, I do have something else to leave you. You and Dani both." Reaching down, he picked up his backpack and pulled out a pair of Fenton Wrist Rays.

A wicked grin spread across Sam's face as she tossed one to Danielle, then slipped the other on her wrist. "You always did know my taste in fashion accessories."

The sound of shouting rose up over the storm from somewhere outside the village in the direction of the ice ridge that marked the entrance to the realm, and Danny's dad motioned to him as he picked up his own duffel bag. "Sounds like we're about to have company. We'd better get a move on."

Pulling one more thing out of his backpack before slipping it back onto his shoulders, Danny handed his father the Porta-Portal. "Here, you'd better hang onto this. If anything happens and we get separated, I can get myself back here or to the Fenton Portal, but this will be your only way back into the Human World." Then, after his father put the device in his duffel bag, Danny took him by the arm, preparing to turn them invisible so he could fly them back through the entrance without getting caught up in the fighting.

Before he did, he looked over his shoulder for one last good-bye to Sam and Dani. Lightning lit up the sky behind them, silhouetting them in a halo of light for just a moment before they turned and joined the ghosts that were running or flying toward the shelter of the caves on the leeward side of the square.

Then, he drew on the energy inside him that turned him invisible, letting it flow into his dad as well. "Let's end this thing once and for all."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-six**

_**Pariah's Keep  
The Ghost Zone**_

It felt weird, flying across the Ghost Zone with his dad in tow, so Danny was glad it wasn't a very long trip to Pariah's Keep. He turned them invisible before they got close, but the place seemed deserted. Considering the number of skeleton warriors that had been charging into the Far Frozen when they'd left, and how many he was guessing were attacking Amity Park, it wasn't too surprising. Still, he thought Vlad might leave at least an honor guard, but the place was completely dead. So to speak.

Flying through the skull-like castle opening, he set them down inside the Grand Hall. It looked like the first time he'd come here, in search of the Fright Knight's sword, except for the absence of a purple pumpkin with the glowing sword sticking out of the top where the stem should be. He had to suppress a shudder as the thought of the sword reminded him of his mother, living out her worst fears somewhere. He didn't even want to think about what the worst fears of one of the most fearless women he knew could possibly be.

But there was something off about the Grand Hall looking so exactly like it had the first time he'd seen it, down to the curtain drawn across the stone dais where the Ghost King's Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep stood, and several skeletons lying dormant along the hallway.

Danny's dad looked leery as well, even though he'd never been to Pariah's Keep before. "Wait. If this is Vlad's home base, who the heck was fighting these skeletons?"

That's when Danny realized. The skeletons weren't lying dormant, they'd been _beaten_. Most of them were missing bones, and two had holes cracked into their skulls. While Danny's dad quietly set his duffel bag on the floor and pulled out the Fenton Bazooka, Danny knelt on the floor to get a closer look at one of the skeletons with the cracked skull. The hole was sort of semicircular shaped, like...

Danny's eyes widened and he stood up. "I know who did this. Look at the chunk missing from this skull. It's shaped like a horseshoe."

His dad frowned. "A horseshoe?" Then he understood. "The Fright Knight's horse?"

Danny nodded. "Without his sword, that horse is his best weapon."

"Aren't they on the same side?"

"Not anymore, I'm not."

The voice behind them was startling, and Danny and his father whirled to the entrance of the Hall to see the Fright Knight sitting astride the Nightmare. His dad immediately shouldered his bazooka, but Danny put his hand out to stop him. "Wait, Dad. I don't think he's working for Vlad anymore."

The Fright Knight dismounted and started walking slowly toward them down the red-carpeted hall. "You don't seem surprised."

"Dude, you're not exactly famous for your loyalty. After Aragon took your sword, I kinda figured you'd be a little ticked. And now Vlad has it, right?"

"Yes." His voice seethed resentment. "How did you know?"

Danny saw his dad's knuckles turn white as he gripped the bazooka. "He used it on my wife."

If this surprised the Fright Knight, he didn't show it. "Then you'll be wanting to get her back."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Uh, _duh_."

The Fright Knight seemed to consider a moment. "I can take you to her. If she's felt the sting of my blade, she's in the Realm of Fears. Plasmius is most likely there, as well."

Danny's dad lowered the bazooka. "You know where she is? Is she safe?"

"Relatively speaking. She'll be living out her worst fear—"

"Then why are we wasting time yapping? Let's get moving."

"Dad, wait. We need to understand what we're walking into first." Danny turned to the Fright Knight. "This Realm of Fears is an actual place, one we can get to without getting sliced and diced first?"

"Yes. It is one of the Infinite Realms, but it is not easy to find. There is only one doorway in and out, unless you are sent there by my blade, and it is constantly shifting. The Nightmare can find it, however." The horse whinnied behind him, almost sounding proud. "The only other way to find it is with the Soul Shredder which, as you pointed out, Plasmius now possesses."

"But if it's a realm where everyone lives out their own personal worst fears, will we even be all in one place together? Can we find Vlad and my mom, and can we fight him and rescue her?"

"Only those sent there by my blade _live_ their worst fears. The dark energy of the realm is contained within the Soul Shredder. A single cut will both send its victim into the Realm, and the Realm into the victim, manifesting inside them as their worst fears come to life. For those who enter through the doorway, the darkness is external. It won't penetrate your soul." A sort of wicked glimmer lit up his eyes. "Unless you remain too long."

"Dark energy..." Danny's dad snapped his fingers. "Is this the same energy that makes up those ecto-storms that sword of yours makes?"

"Yes, it is."

"And Vladdy knows about this place? Has he been there before?"

The Fright Knight's eyes darkened again. "He's been using it as a secret meeting place, one you humans or the ghosts who would not bow to him could not find without my help."

"And he's there now? With Maddie?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Oh, boy. That can't be good."

Danny turned to his dad. "What's wrong?"

"This Realm of Fears? That's what's keeping his ectoranium powers juiced up."

Danny's eyes widened. "Oh, man. That makes total sense. He wouldn't have to make ecto-storms if he could just go there."

The Fright Knight jabbed an armored finger at Danny's dad. "Explain."

"Ectoranium in anything but its solid form is unstable. It should have burned off to nothing by now, unless there was some sort of power that kept recharging it. Maddie figured out it was the ecto-storms, and if you're saying there's a whole realm made of the stuff..."

Danny groaned. "It's like one big solar battery for him. Never runs out."

"That would explain why he kept insisting on meeting there," the Fright Knight said. "I'd assumed it was just his way of showing me his dominance, by usurping my domain. This complicates matters."

"Dad? If Vlad's actually in the place that's powering him up, does that mean he'll be even stronger then when we've faced him elsewhere?"

"Probably not stronger, but he'd have much more endurance. An almost infinite amount."

"Greaaaaaat. 'Cause he wasn't gonna be hard enough to beat already." Then, Danny had a thought. "Wait. If she's in an actual place that we can go to, can't we just rescue her? Just keep Vlad down long enough to get her out?"

The Fright Knight shook his head. "No. Only the defeat of the one who sent her there can bring her back. The fear is _inside_ her. And even if you could just lead her through the doorway, it's likely she wouldn't come. She won't recognize you as you are."

It was like he'd just punched Danny's dad in the face. "What?"

"She is living out her own personal fears. If you are actually present there with her, her mind will merely incorporate you into those fears."

_More good news_, Danny thought. "So, if her biggest fear was, say, snakes..."

"She'd most likely see you as a giant snake."

"Wonderful. She won't even know we're there to rescue her. She might even think we're there to harm her and fight against us." Danny knew from experience being a target in his mother's eyes was not a good thing. "So, we've just gotta go into a realm full of dark energy that's juicing up Vlad's powers, completely defeat him without any weapons that are actually capable of doing that in a place that _isn't_ full of dark energy, and hope Mom doesn't see us as a manifestation of her deepest fears and try to take us out herself. That about cover it?"

"So, what are we waiting for?" His dad pushed the bazooka back into his duffel bag, zipped it up, and hoisted it back over his shoulder as he leveled his gaze at the Fright Knight. "Lead the way, Tin Man."

"Wait." Danny eyed the Fright Knight. "How do we know we can trust you?"

The armored ghost's mouth wasn't visible behind his helmet, but Danny was pretty sure he was smiling. "Do you trust Skulker? Ember? Technus?"

"No. But we share a common enemy. That's enough for now."

"And I can assure you, I now share that enemy as well."

"Meaning you want us to beat him for you so you can get your sword back."

"While you get your mother back. A mutually beneficial arrangement, wouldn't you agree?"

_Sure, until you use that sword to stab me in the back._ But it's not like they had a choice. "Fine. Take us to this Realm of Fears."

* * *

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

"Uh... do you guys know there are a bunch of skeleton ghosts rioting in the streets again?"

Tucker looked over his shoulder to the door of the manager's office to see a frazzled Irving Burns standing there, his knees quaking. "We know, dude. We're trying to shut down the portal they're coming through."

"Quiet, children! I'm trying to concentrate." Technus glared at them before closing his eyes again.

Irving came into the office and stood close enough to Tucker to whisper in his ear. "What's he doing?"

"He's using his ghost powers to control a little robot drone we created. It's small enough to slip past the skeletons coming through the portal and get to the generator that's powering it to shut it down."

"There's a working generator down there? I couldn't get the Nasty Burger's backup generator working."

"Yeah, there's sort of a working-tech bubble down there. Long story."

"Shh!" Technus didn't even open his eyes as he scolded them this time. "I'm almost... uh-oh."

Tucker's heart sunk. "What 'uh-oh.' We don't have time for any uh-oh's, Technus. There's already gotta be more than a hundred skeletons out in Amity Park."

Technus opened his eyes. "There's another shield. A smaller one, covering the generator and the power and control assembly to the portal. We're still locked out."

A string of curses ran through Tucker's head. "There's gotta be a way to bypass it, or destroy it, or something. We can't just leave that portal wide open while skeleton ghosts pour into Amity Park!"

"There may be, but I can't tell from up here. We're going to have to go down there and take a look."

"So, we have to wade through a bunch of skeletons to get into the room with the portal, just to see if maybe we can figure out how to get around the shield and shut it down?"

"Pretty much, child."

Tucker sighed and opened his backpack, pulling out a prop lightsaber he'd bought off eBay. Not a plastic toy like the ones for kids, but a solid, battle-ready polycarbonate replica of Mace Windu's lightsaber that could be used for actual sword fights on stage. When the power was working, it even glowed purple. "All right. Let's knock around some skeleton ghosts." He looked at Irving, still standing in the doorway. "Now's your big chance to see a ghost portal, Irving. We could use some help beating these ghosts back to get at it. Got a baseball bat or anything you could use to lend us a hand?"

"I'm not really—"

"The more skeletons we let loose into Amity Park, the more likely it is that some of them are going to swarm the Nasty Burger. Who knows what they'll do with the Nasty Sauce?"

Fear morphed into something more determined as Irving reached around behind the office door where a crowbar was leaning against the wall. Taking it into his hands, he hefted it over his shoulder like a bayonet. "Let's do this thing."


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-seven**

_**Amity Park**_

Dora, in her dragon form, circled high over the streets of Amity Park. No sign of her brother, so she provided cover as the humans engaged with the skeleton warriors below. Some of the humans, mostly the ones she knew, were fairly skilled and knew how to fight. The rest were largely untrained, wielding everything from axes and broadswords to crude instruments she couldn't name. These were the ones Dora watched closely.

She saw a burly blond young man in a red jacket that she vaguely remembered from the beauty contest her brother had forced her to run. He was surrounded by five skeletons, so she dove in, sweeping three of them aside with her tail so he could take on the other two.

The Ghost Boy's sister screamed some sort of battle cry as she went after a skeleton with something that resembled a cat-o-nine tails with her father's face oddly decorating the center of the talons. She seemed to be holding her own, so Dora moved on to where the paunchy bald man who'd shown up at the door just as she and the Ghost Boy's father were leaving was trying to fend off two skeleton ghosts with a baseball bat. She incinerated both skeletons, startling the bald man, but he quickly recovered and looked for new targets, so she did the same.

Down the street, the parents of the Ghost Boy's girlfriend were stationed on the hoods of cars parked on opposite sides of the street, picking off skeletons with their crossbows as they phased up through the ground near the park, while a dark-skinned man—the mayor's father, Dora thought—was running down the street pushing an older woman in a wheelchair, also holding a crossbow, as she shot at any skeleton who wasn't smart enough to get out of their way. Dora saw some skeletons that they'd passed turn around and start to go after them from behind, so she swooped down and breathed blue flame across them, charring their bones and knocking them onto their backs in the street.

She flew higher, trying to get a better perspective, just as the Ghost Hunter Girl zoomed in on her jet sled, back from her trip dropping off the Ghost Boy's father in the Far Frozen. She pulled up beside Dora. "What's the situation?"

"No sign of my brother. The humans are mostly holding their own, but new skeletons keep phasing in from underground."

"Then Tucker and Technus still haven't closed the portal. Maybe I should go help them—"

A blast of blue flame cut through the air, hitting Dora in her left flank and sending her crashing into a grove of trees in the park. She hit the trunk of a large oak with a painful _crack_ of her wing, then slid down it to land in a heap in the grass below. Winded and her right wing screaming in pain, she couldn't move as she heard a deep, arrogant voice cry out.

"Humans of the kingdom known as Amity Park!"

Dora felt the scales along her neck prickle as she strained to lift her head to see the source of the voice. Across the street, perched on top of a lighted sign that read _Nasty Burger_, sat her brother in his dragon form. Skeleton warriors stopped fighting and stood at attention, letting some humans get in a few blows, but mostly they were looking up at the big, black dragon sitting on top of the fast food sign, too.

"As the Grand Vizier and governor of this kingdom under the Master of All Dimensions, Vlad Plasmius, I am granting you a choice. Throw down your arms in surrender, and you shall all live. Continue this futile fight, and your land will soon be overrun with legion upon legion of skeleton warriors, and we will burn everything under the dome to the ground. What is your answer?"

"I got your answer!" It was the old lady in the wheelchair who cried out. She aimed her crossbow and shot an arrow, which hit Aragon right between the eyes. His hide was too thick for it to be more than a stinging annoyance, but Aragon cried out in pain, message received.

Dora decided she liked the old woman.

Aragon pulled the arrow out of his forehead. "So be it!" The skeletons resumed fighting the humans while Aragon flew up into the air and circled around. "Then let your town burn!"

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Sam's teeth started to chatter almost as soon as they made it inside the caves along with the other ghosts that were trying to stay out of the fight. In the relative dryness of their shelter, the sodden fur coat clinging to her, dripping onto puddles on the cave floor, began to feel heavy and cold, but she pushed it out of her mind as she and Danielle worked on directing traffic, moving ghosts upwards to higher ground. Most of them flew over their heads, leaving Sam and Dani the only ones left to trudge up the wet, stone path to the upper levels.

"You're shivering," Danielle observed.

"I-I'm g-g-good."

"Obviously." She reached out, putting her hand on Sam's shoulder. Immediately, Sam felt the familiar tingle of intangibility pass over her, and the water that had been clinging to her hair and coat splashed to the ground around where her boots would have been if they were solid.

Jerking away from the contact, Sam became tangible again, but now she was dry. The woven fur of her coat felt warm again against now-dry skin, and her teeth stopped chattering. Dani become solid once more as well, and Sam glared at her. "You're not supposed to use your powers. Especially not with skeleton warriors nearby."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "You're getting as bad as Danny." She pointed to the walls of the cave. "There's still ice in here. Between that and the cave walls, I'm not feeling the skeletons. And I can use them for short periods. Maddie even said it was okay." As soon as she said Mrs. Fenton's name, she pressed her lips together.

Now Sam put her hand on Danielle's shoulder. "Danny and his dad will get her back. She'll be fine."

"I know." Still, she didn't look encouraged as she started walking again. "I just... I feel like it's my fault he got her. If Danny hadn't been so worried about me, he wouldn't have left her behind."

Sam followed behind. "You know what? There are altogether too many people blaming themselves for what Vlad does. He's a psychopath, Dani. No one is to blame for the horrible things he does but him."

"We should've known, that's all. Of course he wouldn't come after me. Why would he? It's not like he ever had any interest in me before."

The bitterness in her voice did not escape Sam. She'd noticed it when Mr. Fenton had first told them what happened to Mrs. Fenton, too. "That bothers you, doesn't it?"

Dani's shoulder stiffened, but she gave Sam a contemptuous snort. "Why would it bother me? I'm not exactly looking to get another ectoranium injection, thank you very much."

"It bothers you because you think of him as your father."

Her shoulder's stiffened even more, and her voice was brittle enough to refreeze the melting ice. "No, I don't. I know who my _real_ family is."

"Dani." Sam caught up to her again. "Vlad was all you ever knew for—" She'd been about to say _twelve years_, but she'd really only been with Vlad for a much shorter time, maybe six months. Still, it was her whole life up until she met Danny. "Well, since you were born. It's natural that you'd think of him as your father."

Danielle stopped and turned to face her. "The last time I called him my dad, Danny got really upset. Told me that Vlad was just a crackpot with a chemistry set, not a real father, and to never call him that. And he's right."

"Well, yeah, but Danny has his own issues about you, how he fits into your life, and everything Vlad's done. That doesn't mean you're wrong to feel what you feel. Vlad brought you into the world, he raised you... sort of."

Dani closed her eyes and leaned against the cave wall. "Yeah, he brought me into the world. As part of a scheme to clone Danny. And not even an important part of the scheme, either. Just the guinea pig to test everything out for the _good clone_. And when I got away and he came after me, it was only because he happened to be in the neighborhood. Same thing at Dora's kingdom. He wasn't even looking for me. It was just convenient to grab me since he was already there. Danny was right. I'm nothing but a mess he isn't going to clean up. Not even worth the time and effort to get rid of."

She slammed her hands on the cave wall, then took a great shuddering breath and started to cry, sliding down the wall into a crouch. "How can I be so meaningless I'm not even worth getting rid of?"

"Oh, Dani." Sam was not the warmest, most nurturing person in the world, but she was kneeling on the wet cave floor, pulling Dani into her arms before she even had time think. "_Everyone_ is meaningless to Vlad. You have a new life, a whole big family that loves you and thinks you're amazing, and that's something Vlad can't even wrap his warped little sad excuse for a brain around because it's not about _him_ anymore. _You're_ not about him. Not even a little."

Nodding, Dani pulled back, swiping at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I am such an idiot. I'm actually upset he's _not_ coming after me to kill me, even though I was terrified when I thought he was."

"You're not an idiot, Dani. Parents are like that. Being accepted for who you are, _mattering_ to the people who brought you into the world, it's a big deal." _Believe me, I know._

But her parents had always loved her. She'd always _mattered_ to them, even if she would never measure up to what they wanted her to be.

Danielle took another swipe at her eyes. "Sam, please don't tell Danny about this. It would really hurt him."

She would have sooner clubbed a baby seal than told Danny something that would give him one more thing to blame himself for. "Of course I won't. This is just girl talk, okay?" Another thing Sam wasn't particularly good at, but maybe they were actually connecting. She started to get to her feet. "And thanks for the intangibility trick, by the way. I probably would've been well on my way to pneumonia if you hadn't dried me off."

She held out her hand, and Dani took it, pulling herself to her feet as well. "No big. I really can use my powers in little bursts without it hurting me, no matter what Danny thinks."

"Well, I won't tell him if you won't."

"Deal."

As they started heading uphill again, the Box Ghost flew overhead. He paused, then turned around to face them, looking a little panicked. "Have either of you seen the Lunch Lady? I can't find her, and she's got... a package that's kinda important to me."

Sam and Dani exchanged glances. "We haven't seen her," Sam told him, "but she might be up in one of the higher caves where everyone who isn't fighting the skeletons is going to stay out of the storm. We're headed up there now. Oh, and congratulations."

He frowned, confused. "For what?"

"For your 'package.' Something tells me she's gonna grow up to be just as, um... scary as her dad."

The Box Ghost puffed out his chest. "Darn right, she is." Then, for good measure, he added, "Beware!"

Sam had to avoid looking at Dani the rest of the way to the upper level caverns, sure she'd burst out laughing if she did.

At the end of the tunnel, the path leveled off, forming a sort of corridor with four or five caves branching off. They were all crowded with ghosts, maybe a hundred in all, which was only a tiny sliver of the recent population of the Far Frozen. Sam hoped that meant that the rest of the ghosts had chosen to fight.

The Box Ghost flew through the caves, poking his head in one and then the next, until he got to the third cave and Sam heard him cry out, "There you are!" An almost morbid curiosity to see the baby ghost up close drove Sam to choose that same cave, and she and Dani went inside, making their way through the crowd until Sam spotted the Lunch Lady and the Box Ghost huddled together. She started to head in that direction, but Dani stopped her.

"Sam, look."

She turned and saw that Dani was standing near the opening of the cave that looked out of the mountainside onto the village below. The storm and wind was still furious out there, but they were on the leeward side of the mountain, so it was mostly blowing away from them, keeping the cave relatively dry. Sam pushed past the ghosts to get to Dani's side and looked down, gasping at what she saw.

It was a melee. Rain and wind pelted down on thousands of ghosts fighting thousands of skeletons. Bursts of green ectoplasm mixed with flashes of white lightning, illuminating the village square.

But the fighting wasn't the worst of it. Much of the snow was already melted, and rivers of muddy water flowed all around the battle.

Sam looked up at Dani, and almost gasped again when she saw how pale she looked. "Dani, back away. You've gotta get some cave wall between you and those skeletons down there.

She nodded and backed along the wall of the cave away from the opening. "They're going to lose everything."

Sam moved beside her. "No. Skulker and the rest of the ghosts can beat back those skeletons."

"I'm not talking about the skeletons, I'm talking about the _realm_. I can feel it, Sam." She closed her eyes, moving her hand along the cave wall as if it were a living being and she was connecting into its life force. "The Far Frozen is dying."


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-eight**

_**Realm of Fears  
The Ghost Zone**_

It was a purple door like the zillions of other purple doors that floated randomly throughout the Ghost Zone, completely unremarkable, although the Fright Knight assured Danny and his father that the entrance to the Realm of Fears was never the same door twice.

Beyond the door, however, was a dimension unlike any other Ghost Zone realm Danny had yet encountered in his nearly three years since becoming a half ghost. The closest he could come to describing it was that it was like walking through a door into an absolute, desolate void. Not barren, like a desert, or even a vacuum, like space, but just an endless field of gray, almost like fog on Lake Eerie (two _e's_), but not really like that, either.

There was solid ground, but Danny couldn't tell what it was made of. It didn't crunch like gravel or echo like tile or feel spongy like a marsh. And looking into the distance, it was impossible to tell where the gray ground ended and the gray sky begin. There was no horizon, but neither were there walls and a ceiling. He got neither the sense of vast, open space, nor of a closed room. It was just infinite, gray _nothing_ that went in every direction.

Worse than the nothing to see was the nothing to hear. Their footsteps didn't make a sound, not even a clip-clopping from the Nightmare's hooves as she walked in front of them. "So, this is the Realm of Fears," Danny said, just to make sure he could talk. His voice sounded normal, but kind of dead, as if he were in a padded sound booth in a recording studio. He gave a sort of chuckle he'd intended to sound dismissive, but it came off kind of nervous instead. "Don't see what the big deal is."

"Because you've come here by choice rather than being sent here by the Soul Shredder." The Fright Knight looked over his shoulder and down at them from atop his horse. "The Shades haven't been called to take shape around you."

"What shades? It's not like there's a lot of sun here to block out. Or anything else, for that matter."

"Not window shades, foolish child. Shades are spirits. Like shadows of ghosts. When an individual is sent here by my blade, they take shape around that individual, becoming his or her worst fear."

"Kinda like the boggarts in _Harry Potter_ or something?"

"I have no idea what you're prattling about."

"What, you don't keep up with pop culture in the Ghost Zone? Even Skulker knows his Disney princesses."

"You will not be so flippant once you see the Shades. You don't see them yet because you came here by choice. But you will."

Sure enough, after a few seconds—or was it minutes? Hours? Impossible to tell here—Danny saw something in the nothing. It was a spot of darker gray, and it curled around him like smoke off the end of a pipe, only cold. As it brushed past him, Danny thought he saw the fleeting image of a face, but it was gone before he could place it, and he gripped the straps of his backpack, shuddering without quite knowing why.

"No more wisecracks?" The Fright Knight gave him a pointed look.

Danny didn't answer.

"Be thankful you see merely a shadow of what they would show you. But the longer you stay, the more influence they will have, and the more clearly you will see your darkest fears."

"The only thing I want to see is Vladdy and my wife. Are they here or aren't they?" Danny's dad's voice had that same sound-booth deadness to it, but with a gravity that was almost creepier than the nothingness around them. A perpetual child who loved new things—especially new ghost-things—the way a kid loved Christmas, he would normally be almost gleeful in a place like this. Or at the very least, putting on a show of bravado in the face of the spookiness. But he was just grim as he waved away one of those Shade things that had got in his face, and Danny found himself wishing for the first time in his life that his dad would do something ridiculous and embarrassing and just be _himself_ again.

The Fright Knight gave him a curt nod. "They're here. If I'd had my sword, it would have brought us immediately to them. The Nightmare will find them, but it will take a little longer. Time and space is not the same here as it is in your world or even in the Ghost Zone."

Danny had a hard time believing anything was here in the nothingness, other than the three of them—four if you counted the horse—and the Shades. Another one whisked by him, and this time Danny thought it whispered to him. _Still here..._

He shook off the chill that ran up his spine, the possibility that this was a trap crossing his mind for not the first time since they left Pariah's Keep. But it was the only chance they had at finding his mom, so they had no choice but to follow the Fright Knight.

And if the Shades were giving him the creeps, he didn't even want to think what _she_ must be going through right now.

* * *

_**Amity Park Cemetery  
Amity Park**_

It all happened so fast. One moment, she was confronting Vlad, trying to get the sword from him, and then it had all gone to hell. Danielle was there, crying out to her. _Save me, Maddie! The ectoranium... you didn't do enough. It's killing me! _ And she melted into green ectoplasm, which ran across the floor, puddling at Maddie's feet.

Jazz was next. _Mom, you did it again! You clung to your hypothesis and ignored the science. I saw the truth years ago, why couldn't you see it?_

She didn't understand. _What hypothesis, what science? What did I miss?_

_Maddie, you know what you missed. Stop lying to yourself. _That was Jack, on the other side of the room. He shook his head at her. _But you've always done that, haven't you? Lied to yourself, lied to me. None of this would have happened if you'd told me what you knew about Vlad, but you kept it to yourself, you ignored the signs, and now look where it's gotten us._

_Mom, open your eyes!_ Jazz was pointing at the puddle of green goo at Maddie's feet._ The ectoranium doesn't degrade on its own. It gets stronger. But you only saw what you wanted to see. You always saw only what you wanted to see, and I had to pick up the slack._

The ectoranium puddle swelled, becoming a river, then an ocean, and then a tsunami, not of ectoplasm, like she had assumed—_scientists should never assume_—but of ectoranium. It tore through the dilapidated old house, knocking Jack and Jazz over and pulling them under as they screamed.

Maddie tried to run to them, but she was paralyzed. Then she felt arms around her waist, lifting her safely away from the flood of lethal ectoranium. _I've got you, Mom._

It was Danny, of course, but his voice sounded wrong. So weary, like he'd run two marathons back to back. When she turned to look at him, she gasped.

He was _old_. His white hair was no longer shiny and full, but thinning and yellowed. His face was haggard and wrinkled, with deep, dark circles under his eyes, which contrasted sharply with his sallow skin. He seemed to be struggling, too, like her weight was suddenly too much for him. He set her down on a hill, then collapsed in a heap at her feet. _So tired. I just wanted to be a regular kid. Why didn't you let me be a regular kid? _ Then, his eyes lolled back in his head, and he was gone.

She didn't remember what happened after that, but now she was here, alone, standing on the lush green grass of Amity Park Cemetery, the summer sun bright and too cheery, beating down on her black suit as she looked down at four white marble headstones marking four newly-dug graves.

_Danielle Couldn't-Be-Bothered-to-Give-Her-a-Middle-Name Fenton  
Beloved Daughter  
Should Have Been Cured_

_Jasmine Shannon Fenton  
Beloved Daughter  
Had to Pick Up the Slack_

_Jack Hubert Fenton  
Beloved Husband and Father  
Deserved the Truth_

_Daniel William Fenton  
Beloved Son  
Crushed by the Weight of the World_

She blinked back tears. Why did Danny's headstone say _Daniel_? He wouldn't have wanted to be remembered that way. Why didn't she tell them it was supposed to be _Danny_? Couldn't she do _anything_ right? It was such a small thing, so little to ask of her, to not be remembered by the name _he'd_ always used—

"Maddie, my love? I'm here. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

She turned, and Vlad was standing behind her, human, almost like she remembered him from their college days, before... everything. His eyes were sober as he held out his hand to her. But in his other hand, down at his side, she saw it. A sword. No, _the_ sword. It was important somehow. Shaking her head, she took a step back. "No. You did this."

"I brought you to this place, yes. And I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. But I had to do it to set you free. Don't you see?"

"No, I don't see. That's just the problem, isn't it?" She turned again, looking back down on the headstones. "I thought I knew everything, had all the answers, so I closed my eyes to everything that didn't fit what I wanted to see. And they all suffered for it. I lost everything—"

"No. You haven't lost me. You'll never lose me, Maddie, as long as you live."

A shudder ran through her as she recognized the truth of his words. She would never, ever be able to lose him. Her mouth tasted like ash. "I know."

She felt his hand on her shoulder and it made her want to retch as he moved closer to her, his breath hot and cloying on her neck. "I can take you away from this place forever. Let me take you away, Maddie."

* * *

_**Realm of Fears  
The Ghost Zone**_

It almost made him woozy, standing this close to her. When was the last time? College? Before Jack ruined everything? No, it was at his Colorado chalet just a couple of years ago, when she and Daniel were lost in the woods. He'd been so close that time. So close to freeing her from the bondage of her marriage, but Daniel had interfered, making a mess of it all. He'd been so stupid to think the boy,_ Jack's son_, could ever live up to his potential.

But none of that mattered, now. He'd freed Maddie, brought her here to the dark realm that fed his powers, made him stronger, made him invincible.

_Powerless. Ordinary. Alone. And you never had me..._

Vlad stiffened, waving his hand at the Shade that had resolved itself into Maddie's face, so clear this time it was almost as tangible as the real thing standing beside him.

_No. You're not real. I'm not powerless, I'm stronger than I've ever been._ This realm, even the very Shades that tried to weaken him with his own worst fears only made him fight that much harder. _She_ was real, and she _did_ love him. The rest was just a nightmare.

He waved his hand again, and this time the Maddie-Shade disappeared, and he was alone with the real thing. "Let me take you away," he repeated, whispering in her ear. "All of the Ghost Zone is ours."

Her body went rigid. "Don't take me from them. Please. I can't..."

She was shaking, and it was only then that he remembered how she'd gotten there. The Soul Shredder. She wasn't just seeing Shades of her fears, she was living them out. _That she'd never be free of them_. His Francesca, fearing she would be bound to the idiot Gianciotto, never able to be with the one she truly loved.

He slipped his arms around her, careful not to nick her with the sword still gripped in his hand, and held her tight, trying to stop the trembling. "Sh, my love. It's all right. I'm here. Your Paolo is here." He felt so happy, to finally have everything he wanted, to have defeated Jack, and Daniel and even the Shades that tried to tell him he'd lost. A laugh bubbled up inside him. "Francesca and Paolo, brought together in eternity by a sword. You never have to worry again. They're gone forever—"

"NO!" With a sudden twist, she wrenched herself away from him, shoving him backwards. "I will never forget what you've done! I could have stopped it all if I'd just put aside my blinders and opened my eyes to what was really happening, I know that, but that doesn't change the fact that you did this. You caused this. Danielle, Danny, Jazz, Jack. You did this and I will never, _ever_ forget!"

He knew he should feel bad that she was still living in her fears, believing she was trapped with a family she despised, but he could only feel the joy of being with her, and he laughed again, giddy. "Yes, I did this. I saved you. Now let me take you away from here, and we'll be together forever."

"Sorry, Vladdy, but only one of you is leaving this place, and you aren't it."

Gripping his sword, Vlad spun on his heel, but before he could face the source of the unwelcome intrusion, something hard and cold slammed into him, knocking him backwards and sending him sprawling onto the gray ground. As soon as he hit, he triggered his transformation, letting ectoranium, strengthened by the dark energy of the Realm of Fears, radiate through him.

In an instant, he had his bearings again and was upright to face his attackers. Jack was staring down the sights of his ridiculous bazooka, while Daniel stood behind him, already letting loose with his ice powers, but this time, he was ready for them. He evaporated, letting his molecules disperse so the ice blast went right through the empty space where he had been. Recorporealizing several feet away from his original location, he glared at his attackers. "Still too stupid to stay out of the lion's den, Daniel? And you brought your idiot father this time. But how did you—"

And then he saw. Several feet behind them, astride his black horse... "The Fright Knight." His eyes narrowed to slits. "You betrayed me."

"That all depends on the outcome. If they defeat you, then yes, I betrayed you. If you defeat them, then I brought you your greatest victory. Either way, I'll be wanting my sword back."

Daniel shot the black-armored ghost a weary look. "I'm guessing that means you're not going to help us."

"No. I brought you here, as you wished. Defeat him, be defeated, it makes no difference to me. I'm only here for my sword. And to see what I imagine will be an entertaining battle."

Vlad glared at him. "I hope you weren't expecting a long show." And then he let the ectoranium course through him, shooting it out through his hands in a stream to obliterate Daniel.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-nine**

_**Amity Park**_

Valerie wanted to cheer as Sam's grandmother shot Aragon right between the eyes with an arrow. His subsequent threat to burn the town to the ground was a little less cheer-worthy. _Guess I won't be able to go help Tucker after all._

Calling her ecto-rifle into being, she set it to Mr. Fenton's new freeze ray as soon as it materialized in her hands and let loose with a blast that not only extinguished the flames Aragon was breathing but, like it had in the mall battle, froze his muzzle. It wouldn't last, but at least it would buy her some time to check on Dora and get her back into the fray.

She kicked down on the throttle of her sled and flew toward the park, where Dora was struggling to get to her feet beside the tree she'd crashed into. Valerie hovered above her. "You okay?"

The dragon winced. "My wing's a bit banged up, but I can still fight."

"Better get to it, then. That ice isn't gonna hold him—"

Blue flames lit up the night, scorching the leaves of the tree just over Valerie's head. This served to motivate Dora, who was up off the ground in an instant. "Not so fast, brother!" She countered his flame with a cooling breath, snuffing it out before it could do much damage.

"Dorothea! Mind your own business! If you think I will let you steal another kingdom from me, you are sadly mistaken. Learn your place, woman!"

Oh, no he _didn't_. Valerie maneuvered her sled between the two dragons. "Hey, Prince Loser, this is the twenty-fist century! Haven't you heard a woman's place is anywhere she damn well wants it to be? And that includes kicking your sorry dragon butt!" Then, she let loose with pink bolts from her sled, pelting Aragon's hide and forcing him to retreat.

Dora, still in the game despite the fact that her right wing looked painfully crumpled, flew to Valerie's side. "If we can get his amulet off of him, he won't be able to do any damage. Then we can concentrate on helping the other humans keep the skeleton warriors at bay."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's turn that dragon into an ugly prince." She paused. "But I am _so_ not kissing him."

* * *

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Getting down the secret staircase back into the tunnels was a breeze, other than Tucker wanting to strangle Irving for his babbling on and on and _on_ about the secret stairs under _his_ office.

Even getting through the tunnel to the chamber with the portal wasn't too difficult—Technus just made the three of them invisible and they were able to walk most of the tunnel's length unimpeded, since the ghosts that were coming through the portal weren't bothering with the passageway back up to the Nasty Burger but were instead phasing up right through the tunnel's ceiling into the park above them.

Once their little team got within sight of the portal chamber, however, things got a little more dicey. Tucker had to bite his lip to keep from gasping when he saw the sheer number of skeleton warriors pouring through the double-sized portal and phasing up through the ceiling above them. Irving did let out a shriek, but Tucker managed to get a hand over his mouth before any skeletons heard him over their own battle cries.

"Dude, you want them all over us?"

Irving gave a vigorous shake of his head.

"Then be quiet until we're ready for them to know we're here."

Irving nodded, and Tucker removed his hand, then gave it good wipe on his pants. "And dude, wash the fryer grease off once in a while." He leaned toward where he could feel Technus's invisible hand on his shoulder. "What's the word, Technus? Can we get at the generator?"

"Like I said, it has its own shield. It's attached directly to the power assembly for the portal."

"Can you just use your powers to, I don't know, rip it out of the wall or something?"

"Not with the shield running. The whole coupling to the wall is shielded."

"Any bypasses, work-arounds, anything?"

"Nothing that I can tell from here. We'll have to get closer."

"_Closer_?" Irving squeaked. "Where all those zillions of skeletons are?"

"That's why you brought that crowbar." Tucker tightened his grip on his own Mace Windu lightsaber.

"But there're so many!"

"Yeah, but the good news is they're kinda stupid and they're also hive-mind drones. They pretty much focus on whatever they were told to do, and in this case, it was to make a lot of trouble up there, not down here. Most of them will be wanting to keep on that track rather than bother with us. Just wade in and start swinging your crowbar until we get close enough for Technus to figure out what to do about that generator."

"No time like the present." Technus let go of them, and Tucker felt that sort of weird tingle that came with ghost powers, and the three of them were visible once more.

Instantly, the skeletons spotted them. A few peeled off from the main group and rushed at them but, as Tucker predicted, most of them continued phasing up through the tunnel ceiling to the park above. Technus blasted the ones coming toward them with his ectoplasm, clearing a path, and Tucker hefted his lightsaber and charged into the hoard.

The stream of ghosts coming out of the portal chamber was so thick that Tucker's first swing brought down five of them. Immediately several more were on him, grabbing at him with bony hands or slicing at him with swords or axes. Another blast of ectoplasm from Technus cleared a few of them, and Tucker was able to take a couple more down with a second swing. He heard the whistle of a sword swinging too close to his head, and felt another tear at the right arm of his shirt, but it didn't do more than graze his skin.

He heard the shriek of another battle cry, and then a loud crack behind him, and turned in time to see Irving bringing his crowbar down hard on the skull of a warrior that was about to get Tucker from behind with an ax.

Irving's eyes were wide, a combination of terror and exhilaration. "I got one!"

"Thanks! Now get more!"

Invigorated by his success, Irving wheeled to take a swing at another skeleton, while Tucker waded further upstream. He discovered that the less he swung, the more the skeletons ignored him, intent as they were on their goal of getting above ground. Technus had made even better progress, using his ghost powers to sweep away dozens of skeletons in his path. He was already inside the chamber and halfway to the generator.

"Any luck, Technus?" Tucker brought his lightsaber down on the arm of a skeleton that was reaching for him, breaking it off at the elbow joint.

The techno-ghost blasted three more warriors out of his way. "Not that I can see. The shield prevents me from getting at the generator or the control panel."

Tucker's mind whirred. "What about the portal itself? Can you do something with the wiring in there?"

"Sure, but I can't promise the explosion won't take out the entire tunnel and half a city block upstairs."

Tucker swung at another skeleton, getting this one in the ribs. "Haven't you ever heard of _finesse_? If my PDA were working, I could hack into the portal and take it down without blowing the whole thing—"

A vibrating buzz in his hands startled him as his lightsaber suddenly came alive, purple LED lights glowing inside the polycarbonate blade and sound effect generator in the handle making the distinctive snapping noise that lightsabers made when activated in the movies, then switching to a familiar, resonant hum. "What the—?"

And then, looking around him, he understood. He'd crossed the threshold into the chamber the portal was in and was now inside the bubble where tech worked. Which meant...

"New plan!" Smiling, he took a few swings with his lightsaber, activating the swishing sound effect. "Technus, clear out the room as best you can and keep the skeletons off my back. Irving, help him. I need to get to the edge of the portal, the left side, away from the control panels. Now that I'm inside the tech bubble, my PDA should be up and running and I can hack into the portal wiring itself. Lord knows I've been around the one in Danny's basement enough to know how everything's—"

A skeleton swathed in some sort of Persian headdress slammed Tucker in the back with a mace, knocking him to the ground on top of three other skeletons, squeezing the wind out of his lungs and the replica lightsaber out of his hand. The Persian swung his mace again, and Tucker rolled out of its way, still struggling to catch his breath. His lungs finally started working, and he sucked in a huge gulp of air just as gray spots started dancing in front of his eyes, but the Persian was still coming at him. Frantic, he looked for his lightsaber. Fortunately, the purple glow made it easy to find.

Unfortunately, it had rolled across the chamber well out of reach.

"Oh, crud."

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

A shudder ran down Sam's spine, and she pulled Danielle away from the cave wall. "It's going to be fine, Dani, you'll see. Frostbite and the rest of the snow creatures will beat Vortex, and the ice will come back. The Far Frozen will be fine."

"No, they won't beat Vortex. Frostbite was lying to Danny when he said they could handle him. Their ice powers are directly connected to the ice of the realm. If even _I_ can feel the realm dying, with my half-developed ice powers and not-as-strong link to the Far Frozen, what must they be feeling right now? They might be dying, too, Sam, all of them. How are they going to fight a ghost as powerful as Vortex?"

Sam swallowed, trying not to let despair creep in. "Danny will beat Vlad—"

"It'll be too late for the Far Frozen. Too late..." She turned toward the cave walls and put her hands on them, closing her eyes. A moment later, they sprung open again, and she spun to face Sam. "They're doing it backwards. They're trying to defeat Vortex to restore the realm. What we have to do is restore the realm so that they can beat Vortex!"

"Restore the realm? How?"

"With ice. Frostbite says it's a symbiotic relationship, right? The realm doesn't just feed their ice powers, their ice powers feed the realm. We need to feed the powers back to the realm, shore it up. Then it'll be strong enough to give back to them, and they'll be strong enough to fight."

Frowning, Sam shook her head. "I don't know, Dani. If it were that easy, don't you think Frostbite would have thought of it? He's the one who knows the most about how this all works."

"He's _too_ connected. He can't fix the problem. Like..." Danielle's eyes lit up as she hit upon an idea. "The ice is the lifeblood of this system, and they're all part of the same system. If you'd been shot in the leg and were gushing blood out through it, you couldn't get a transfusion from your own arm to fix it. You'd need one from outside. From someone with the same blood type as you, but who isn't part of your own circulatory system, right?"

"Okay, but—" And then, Sam saw where she was going with this. "No."

"I can do this, Sam." To prove her point, she turned toward the cave wall and, as she put her hands up against it, they started to glow blue.

"No!" Sam grabbed her by the shoulder and jerked her away from the wall again. "If you think I'm gonna stand here and let you kill yourself for some half-baked theory you don't even know is true—"

"It _is_ true. I can feel it in the cave walls."

Sam arched an eyebrow at her. "So, you talk to cave walls, now, do you?"

"No, but they're talking to me. Well, not me, but to my ice powers." When that didn't ease Sam's skeptical look, she threw up her hands. "Listen, I don't know how this all works, but I know I'm connected to this place through my ice powers, same as Danny, even if it isn't the same kind of bond the snow creatures have. I know what this realm needs, and I know I'm the one who can give it to her."

"How? You said yourself your ice powers are only half developed, and I know using them makes you sicker faster than using your regular ghost powers, so don't lie and say that it doesn't."

"Like I'm going to be _less_ sick if the Far Frozen completely dies and those skeleton warriors get in here?"

Sam pressed her lips together. She had a point.

"Besides, the Far Frozen has a medical facility here that makes the Op-Center look like something they'd slap together in some war zone where there was no access to a real hospital. If I get sick, they can treat me here."

"Dani, I don't know." Her parting words to Danny rang in her ears. _I promise I'll keep her safe and bring her back to you._ "I promised Danny—"

"And he promised your parents, sorta, but he had to leave because fighting Vlad is more important. Sam, this is more important than me. It's about not letting an entire _ecosystem_ die."

Sam wondered if Dani knew her well enough to have picked the exact words that would make it impossible for her to refuse, or if it was just a lucky shot in the dark. Either way, Sam's green, environmentalist heart couldn't allow her to stand by and do nothing while an ecosystem, even one in the Ghost Zone, was being laid to waste. _I'm sorry, Danny._

Her nod of assent was so slight, she would have thought Danielle wouldn't be able to see it, but a smile lit up her face, so like Danny's smile, it almost stopped Sam's heart in her chest. But then Dani was facing the cave wall again, her ponytail swinging behind her, breaking the illusion, as she put her hands against the wall.

Sam swallowed her doubts, trying not to choke on them. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Get all the ghosts away from the walls and put up your hood. If this works like it feels it should, then it's gonna get really cold in here _really_ fast."


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

_**Realm of Fears  
The Ghost Zone**_

Danny managed to get an ice shield up a fraction of a second before Vlad's ectoranium wave hit. The ectoranium pushed hard against him, and he had to pour everything he had into the ice streaming from his hands just to stand his ground, until a second blast of ice from his left powered into the cloudy green mass that was once Vlad Plasmius, knocking him off balance and disrupting the flow of ectoranium.

Heaving a breath of relief, Danny nodded to his father. "Thanks, Dad."

"Don't mention it." His dad pulled a lever on the Fenton Bazooka across his shoulder, and it whined, powering up for another ice-infused blast.

With a roar of fury, Vlad evaporated into green mist. Danny tensed, every sense alert for any indication where he would materialize. He saw a flash of green out of the corner of his eye and spun around, ready to let loose with more ice, when he stopped short.

Vlad was materializing behind his mother.

"Mom, duck!"

She stood, frozen, gaping at him in horror. "You're—but you can't be here! I saw you—"

"I'm here, Mom. Dad and me both. We're going to get you out of here, but you've gotta help us fight Vlad. Or at least get out of the—MOM!"

His words were choked off when he saw Vlad grabbed his mom from behind. "I won't let them take you. Never again!"

"MADDIE!" His dad threw aside the bazooka and charged like an enraged bull after a matador. No weapons, just three hundred and fifty pounds of fury throwing himself at Vlad.

"Dad!" Danny had no idea what his father was thinking, or even how to help, other than to fly at Vlad, too, and somehow keep him from frying his dad with those ectoranium powers.

Vlad laughed, but it was that new, weird, high-pitched giggle again, and it set Danny's teeth on edge. With a twist, Vlad shoved Danny's mom behind him, and Danny braced for the ectoranium energy he knew was coming, but instead, Vlad rushed at his dad. At first, Danny couldn't comprehend what his plan of attack was, until he saw the glint of green.

The Soul Shredder.

Danny only had to alter his trajectory a fraction to put himself on a collision course with his father. He hit hard, bowling them both over to the side just as the green blade whistled through the space where they had just been.

Thrown off balance when the sword didn't hit flesh like he'd expected, Vlad stumbled, while Danny and his father's momentum sent them tumbling to the featureless gray ground, landing within a few feet of the Fright Knight's horse.

"Um, about my sword. Don't let it cut you."

Danny glared up at the black-armored ghost, who was watching from atop the Nightmare as if this were some sort of drive-in movie. He half expected to see him munching popcorn. "Gee, thanks for the advice, Captain Obvious. 'Cause I was totally gonna let him cut me with that thing, just for kicks, but now that you mention it..."

"I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you, Ghost Child. In the human world or any other realm of the Ghost Zone, a slice from the Soul Shredder sends you here to face the Shades of your worst fears. Let my blade run you through when you're already here, and your worst fears won't just be a Shade illusion, they'll be real and permanent. You will be living your nightmares come to life forever."

A Shade chose that moment to curl around Danny's head. It laughed—not the creepy, crazy giggling sound Vlad was making, but something deeper and colder and... familiar. Shaking off the chill working its way up his spine, Danny got to his feet and helped his father up as well. "Okay, then. We need to get that thing away from him."

"I don't think so, Daniel. I like my new toy!"

Before Danny could even react, he was jerked backwards by his backpack as Vlad brought the sword down where he'd just been. The force of the blow buried the blade in the ground halfway to the hilt, and before Vlad could pull it back out again, Danny shook himself free of the grip his father had on his backpack and let loose with double ice rays from both hands. They plowed into Vlad, knocking him away from the sword and temporarily freezing him inside a block of ice.

Danny turned to his dad. "Thanks for the save. Again."

"Back atcha, son. Now let's get my old 'friend' before he breaks through that ice." He pulled something out of the duffel bag slung over his shoulder, a circular device that looked like some sort of kitchen gadget that sold on an infomercial for three easy payments of $29.95.

"Will the Ghost Peeler work on him?"

"We're about to find out."

But before his dad could hit the button that would turn the small, handheld gadget into an entire suit of body armor, complete with a weapons attachment that would peel a ghost apart like an onion, something slammed Danny's chest, sending him tumbling to the ground, tangled in some kind of wire he couldn't free himself from. When he finally stopped rolling, he saw that he was wrapped up in a Wraith Wrangler. _Since when does Vlad use a Wraith Wrangler?_

A shadow passed over him as he got up on his knees, and he looked up, expecting to see Vlad's glowing red eyes. What he saw instead made his own eyes widen.

"_Mom?"_

She looked down on him, her face drawn and tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's not your fault, sweetie. I know I'm the one who caused this. I shouldn't have let you take on so much so young. You're only—_were_ only sixteen. But I've learned my lesson. I won't let you keep on like this, forever a ghost, forever fighting. It's time for you to move on, Danny. It's time for you to rest."

And then, Danny found himself looking down the barrel of a Fenton Blaster.

* * *

Maddie stared down at her son—no, not her son, just a manifestation of ectoplasmic energy and the post-human consciousness that _used to be_ her son—trying not to let her hands shake as she aimed the Fenton Blaster at him.

"Mom, what are you _doing_?"

He looked so frightened, and it was all she could do to keep from falling on her knees and sobbing. "I'm setting you free. Your human life is over. Let go and move on."

"My—_what_? No, Mom, wait!"

She swallowed hard, clamping down on the grief welling up in her. _Pull the trigger, Maddie. At this close range, the Blaster's ectoplasm ray will weaken him so significantly, his spirit might have nothing left to cling to and would detach itself from this world and move onto the next. It'll be quick, and painless, and he'll be free. _ But before she could work up the nerve, something grabbed her from behind.

"Maddie, no! That's our son!"

With well-trained ease, she slipped out of her attacker's grip and spun to find herself face-to-face with the ghost of her husband.

She hadn't been prepared for how hard that would be. Losing her children was the deepest pain of all, but seeing Danny as a ghost wasn't a wholly new experience, so it hadn't been quite as big a shock. But Jack, her wonderfully bubbly, always-full-of-life Jack, a spectral shadow of what he once was... it was almost too much to bear. "Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry. So, so sorry."

And she aimed the blaster and pulled the trigger.

* * *

The ray from the Fenton Blaster hit Jack right in his gut, knocking him off his feet and onto his back. Gray spots danced in front of his eyes as he tried to suck in a breath of air. He heard Danny call out and, finally, his lungs started working again and he was able to take in a ragged breath.

Well, at least if his wife were going to shoot him in the gut at point-blank range, it was with a weapon meant for ghosts that really couldn't do more than wind a human. But why would she shoot him, and with an ecto-weapon, of all things? Clambering back to his feet, he looked at her, bewildered. "Maddie, what are you doing? It's me, Jack. Your husband!"

She pulled something else out of her hip pack and brought it up to aim at him once more. Jack flinched, until he saw that she wasn't holding a weapon, but a Fenton Thermos.

He would have laughed at the absurdity, if it were not for the stricken look in Maddie's eyes as she pointed the thermos at him, hands trembling. "Are you really so angry at me for not telling you what I knew about Vlad that you have to haunt me?" Thumbing on the thermos's power button, she brought the device humming to life but, of course, it had no effect.

_You're a clown. A blind clown. You only see what you want to see, not what's right in front of your big, stupid, clown nose..._

Jack blinked, shaking his head as if to clear away the voice—_Maddie's voice_—as a Shade flit past. Blinking again, he focused on what really was in front of him. "Maddie, why are you pointing a Fenton Thermos at me?"

"She thinks we're dead, Dad."

Jack looked past Maddie to Danny, who was still trussed up in Maddie's Wraith Wrangler like a calf at a rodeo. "What?"

"Remember what the Fright Knight said, that she'd see us as part of her nightmare? That's her worst fear, losing her family. She thinks we're ghosts. Full ghosts."

She whirled on Danny, pointing the thermos at him, now. "I know you're angry at me, but you don't have to pour salt on the wounds. I'm trying to do the right thing, now. I'm trying to set you free. Don't you understand?"

This was bad. While the thermos wouldn't hurt their son, it would trap him and keep him out of the fight with Vlad, who'd be breaking free of that ice any second now.

Danny struggled against the Wraith Wrangler. "Mom, don't! I'm not a ghost! Well, okay, I am, but I'm still only _half_ ghost. I'm still _me_."

Jack was behind her in two steps, and he took her by the shoulders and turned her towards him. "Maddie, listen to me. It's not real. We're not dead. You're in some sort of freaky nightmare realm, living out your worst fears. But it isn't real. It'll go away if we can just defeat Vlad. Help us defeat Vlad—"

A sound like breaking glass cut him off, and another high-pitched giggle filled the air. Jack grimaced at the laugh, which was sounding less like his old friend-turned-enemy and more and more like that crazy judge from _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_.

"Destroy them, Maddie!" Green vapor surrounded them, solidifying into Vlad's anti-ghost form, and then he morphed into human form as he reached out to Maddie. "Vanquish your fears forever, and we can be together at last."

For an instant, just an instant, the green, anti-ghost monster was gone and all Jack saw was Vladdy, his best friend.

But as he reached out to Maddie, he said, "It'll be over soon, my love," and the illusion was shattered, bringing everything Vlad had ever done to hurt everyone Jack loved flooding back.

Remembering the Ghost Peeler still in his hands, he aimed it at Vlad's chest. "Leave her alone!"

Maddie recoiled from Vlad's touch and, taking two steps back from him, dropped her Fenton Thermos and pulled her Fenton Blaster back out, aiming it not at Vlad, but at him and Danny, back and forth between the two of them. "_All of you,_ leave me alone! Just—" She aimed the blaster at Danny once more, then something inside her seemed to crumble. "I'm so sorry, Danny. So, so sorry. You should be free of all the burdens you carried for too long. I—" She dropped her arm, the blaster hanging at her side. "I can't. I'm so sorry."


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-one**

_**Realm of Fears  
The Ghost Zone**_

Jack swallowed as he watched his wife fall apart. In the nearly thirty years he'd known Maddie, he thought he knew every look on her face, every emotion she could possibly ever have. But never in all those years had he ever seen her look so... _broken_.

Danny looked like something had broken inside him, too. "Mom..." It came out strangled.

"I'm so sorry." And, dropping her blaster, Maddie turned and ran away. The weapon skittered across the gray ground like it was a tile floor, but didn't clatter or make any noise in this strange, dead realm.

Jack stood frozen, every muscle in him screaming at him to go after his wife, to comfort her, to make her see she didn't have to grieve, that her son was alive and fine. But he resisted the urge, keeping his Ghost Peeler trained on the son of a bitch who'd caused all that pain in the first place.

And damned if said son of a bitch didn't look _pleased_. "I see it falls me to be the white knight, then."

Fury rose up in Jack like a rocket igniting in his chest, and he pressed the button to activate the Ghost Peeler, letting it envelop his body in its protective armor. As soon as he was suited up, he wrapped his finger around the Peeler's weapon trigger—

_Best friends, roommates, lab partners. We did everything together..._

_You're a blind clown. You can't see what's right in front of you..._

Jack blinked as everything went dark.

* * *

Danny stared at his dad, waiting for him to press the trigger of the Ghost Peeler, but he didn't. He just kept aiming, blinking behind the astronaut helmet of his armor, as if he suddenly had sand in his eyes. Vlad rolled his own eyes and walked in a slow semicircle between Danny and his dad, completely unconcerned about the weapon waving vaguely in his direction.

Struggling once more against the Wraith Wrangler, Danny kept his focus on Vlad and that self-satisfied grin he was wearing not ten seconds after the woman he claimed to love had practically fallen apart right in front of him. "That's what love is to you, isn't it? The so-called 'love of your life' is in _pain_ because she thinks her family is dead, and you're _enjoying_ it."

"Of course I'm enjoying it, Daniel. I get to save her from the prison your family has made for her, and I did it right under your noses. You think you 'rescued' Danielle? I _let_ you have her. What use is she to me anymore? What use are _you_ to me anymore? You've long since proven your potential is wasted. But you were so busy worrying about what I'd do to my poor little science experiment, you failed to keep your eye on the only real prize in your entire pathetic family. Your mother is free, now, and we can finally be together."

Danny's stomach threatened to rebel. "You really believe you're going to be the hero in her eyes, don't you? After everything you've done to _everyone_ she cares about, you actually think she'll _want_ you? This is, like, a whole new level of fruit-loopiness, even for you, Vlad. _She can't stand you._"

His eyes glowed red as they narrowed to slits. "This is _our_ time, Daniel."

_It's only a matter of time... _Danny shuddered at the deep voice whispering in his ear, then shook his head as a Shade flitted past. This one looked just a little more defined—he could almost see a blue face with red eyes. A cold dread wormed its way through his chest until he forced it out with a huff of air. The Fright Knight was right. The longer they stayed, the more effect the Shades had—

_The Shades_. Blinking, he looked past the illusion to Vlad. "It's this _place_. It may be strengthening your powers, Vlad, but those Shades are messing with your head."

* * *

As soon as Danny said the word _Shades_, Jack finally understood what was happening to him. He wasn't going blind. It was the _Shades_. That was his fear, not of going literally blind, but that he already _was_ blind. A big, dumb, blind clown who couldn't see what was right in front of him.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he shook his head to clear away Maddie's voice telling him what an idiot he was, and when he opened his eyes again, he could see Vlad pacing as Danny continued his verbal assault. "You're becoming completely unhinged. Not that you were really all that, uh, hinged to begin with."

"QUIET!" Vlad stalked over to him, wagging his finger in Danny's face. "I'm out of patience with you, Daniel. I told you back at the Observants' realm when this all began that you failed my final test. I'm through with you and your constant choice of weakness and failure." His hands started glowing green, and an alarm went off in Jack's head. Could he use his ectoranium powers in human form?

Re-aiming the Ghost Peeler, Jack fingered the trigger again, but this time he couldn't fire because Vlad was too close to Danny, and he was afraid his son would get caught in the backdraft. _Get away from my son, you dirtbag. _"VLAD! Your fight's with me, not him!"

Vlad spun on his heel to face Jack, but he was still too close Danny. "Oh, please! Your teenage son is more of a threat with _both_ hands tied behind his back—literally—than you are in your ridiculous armor with your ridiculous ghost weapons. You're a _joke_!"

_I'm your friend, Vladdy. I've always been your friend._

Jack blinked, ignoring the Shade's taunting. "If I'm such a joke, why do you want my life? My wife, my _son?_"

"A life that should have been mine. A life you _stole from me_!"

_Yes, fool! It was your bumbling that made me what I am today!_

Jack shook his head. "You know what, Vlad? Back in college, I used to think we were such great friends because we were so much alike. I was wrong about the great friends part, but I was right that we're alike."

It was Danny who protested. "Dad, you are nothing like him! Not even close."

"No, son, I am." Keeping his Ghost Peeler trained on his onetime friend, he took a few steps to the side, hoping Vlad would counter by moving in the opposite direction, away from Danny. "See, Vladdy, you and I, we both see the world as we want it to be, not as it really is. I wanted to believe you were still my friend, even after the twenty years you wouldn't speak to me because of a stupid accident. I wanted you to be my friend, so I saw you that way, ignoring the truth. And my wife, my son, a little girl I didn't even know existed until a month ago, they all suffered for it, just because I saw only what I wanted to see."

"Because you're an idiot!"

"Yes, I am." Jack took two more steps to his left, and Vlad mirrored him, stepping away from Danny. But was it far enough? "I'm an idiot, but you are, too, Vlad. You want Maddie to love you, so you see her that way, but you don't see _her_ at all. The real Maddie. The woman you think you love is just an illusion, like the ones these fear spooks create. You don't know the first thing about who Maddie _really_ is. She could never love someone like you, because there's one crucial difference between you and me. All the people I hurt? I never wanted to hurt them. It eats me up inside, what happened—what I _let_ happen—to my wife, to my son."

He took another step to his left. "But you, Vlad. You don't hurt people by accident, just because you're too blind to see. You hurt them on _purpose_. You stole from my son—_Maddie's son_—and created a whole new life out of his DNA, never even considering what that would do to him or to the little girl you brought into this world just to be your guinea pig. And that's the crucial difference between us, Vlad. Maddie's got a big heart. She forgives a lot. She forgives me for all the stupid things I do every day. But what you did to Danny, to Danielle? That she can never forgive. And she certainly could never love anyone capable of using people in that way."

"_I am not alone!_" Vlad twitched, and Jack frowned at the non sequitur until Vlad batted his hand at a Shade floating near his head, and he realized that Vlad was responding to it, not to him. _So, that's his worst fear. _

Vlad's eye twitched again, then he laughed. "You tricked her into marrying you! She wanted me, but you _tricked_ her."

Once again, Jack saw not the Vlad in front of him, the sociopathic billionaire who happily wrecked every life he ever touched, or the strange anti-ghost, or even the old ghost he used to be before the collision with the ectoranium asteroid.

All he saw was the scrawny 18-year-old kid he'd befriended freshman year in college. The kid who wanted so much to fit in, to have friends, to be loved. Jack waved his hand to get rid of the Shade that was causing the illusion, until he realized it wasn't a Shade at all.

It was _him_.

After everything that happened, he could still see that scrawny kid, that old Vlad that he'd loved like a brother. And it broke his heart to see what he'd become.

"I was your friend, Vladdy. But I only saw what I wanted to see. Not anymore. I see what you really are, and I won't let you hurt my family again." And he pressed the trigger and fired the Ghost Peeler.

* * *

Danny wasn't sure which was worse, seeing his mother fall apart because she was living out some nightmare where he was dead and she was blaming herself for it, or listening to his father beat himself up over everything Vlad had ever done. While his mother's pain had been more visceral, his dad's wasn't induced by some Shade illusion. It was how he really felt. So when he finally worked himself through it and fired the Ghost Peeler, Danny nearly melted in relief.

A blue-green beam—the regular ghost-peeling ray coupled with the freeze attachment, Danny guessed—shot out of the weapon attachment, the light swallowing Vlad and sending whiffs of green vapor off him. Danny's heart jumped to his throat. _It's working! Dad really did it, it's_—

Another bone chilling laugh cut off his thoughts, and Vlad morphed into anti-ghost form, radiating ectoranium energy back at Danny's dad so bright, Danny had to squint his eyes and turn his head to keep from being blinded. It wasn't enough to shield him from the sight of his dad being blown backwards from the blast like a very large, overstuffed rag doll.

"Dad!" Danny redoubled his efforts to get out of the Wraith Wrangler as his dad hit the ground and the Ghost Peeler's armor retracted back into the handheld device, leaving him unprotected as Vlad strode toward him, continuing the onslaught of ectoranium. Even three months later, Danny still had nightmares about that faked video Vlad had shown him and Valerie of everyone they loved dying a gruesome, horrible death from that ectoranium.

But this was no fake, no nightmare, no Shade illusion. Vlad was attacking his father for real—

"_Dad! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_" And his cry became an unearthly howl.

But before the first wave of sonic energy hit Vlad, he spun to face Danny, redirecting his ectoranium power from his dad to him. The blast was massive, and it burned into him, as if it were drowning him in an acid bath after a swarm of electric eels had peeled off his flesh, exposing raw nerve endings.

And still he wailed, putting everything he had into it, while the ectoranium tore through him, threatening to shred him to nothing until his howl wanted to become a scream.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-two**

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Unarmed, Tucker could only roll out of the way as the Persian skeleton ghost came at him with his mace, but then green ectoplasm lit up the portal chamber, taking the Persian's skull clean off, and Tucker heaved a sigh of relief.

"What are you waiting for, child? If you think you can hack into the portal, get on it!" Using his tech-manipulating powers, Technus sent Tucker's lightsaber replica across the chamber, knocking over a few skeleton ghosts streaming out of the portal as it went, and dropped it within Tucker's reach.

"Thanks, dude." He grabbed the prop and scrambled to his feet as Technus let loose with more ectoplasm, clearing a path between him and the left side of the portal, away from the main stream of ghosts that were pouring through. Switching his lightsaber to his left hand, he swung blindly, reveling in its electronic swishing noise as he knocked aside as many skeletons as he could while simultaneously digging into his pants pocket with his right hand to pull out his PDA and power it up.

Another skeleton grabbed at him from behind, but Irving was there, batting him away with his crowbar and a shrieking battle cry that almost sounded... gleeful?

"And that one's for my mother and my brother! Can an upper-level corporate exec do that, Mom? Huh? _Can he_?"

_Dude's got serious issues._ But Tucker pushed the thought away as a flare of green light indicated Technus was clearing more of them away. He blocked that out as well, pressing himself as tightly into the little corner made by the wall and the rim of the portal as he could, focusing on the mini computer in his hand as it came to life with a jingle of tones that was literally music to his ears.

Planting a kiss on the screen, he cooed at it like it was a newborn. "Ooh, baby, Daddy missed you, yes he did!" Then, he slipped off his backpack, digging around until he found a screwdriver, and went to work unscrewing a panel in the side of the portal rim, giving him access to the wiring inside. With an adapter that was also in his bag, he patched his PDA into the wiring system.

Numbers flew across the screen, but to Tucker it was like reading _See Spot run._ In his element, he was able to let everything else—the skeletons, the flashes of ectoplasmic energy from Technus and the _I'll-show-you-Mom_ rantings of Irving—fade away, until it was just him and the code on the screen.

Finally, he saw what he was looking for. Thumbs flying on the controls with practiced ease, he changed the code and pressed enter.

At first, nothing happened. Then, a series of loud clanks sounded around the rim of the portal, and a loud whine that lowered in pitch as the system began to shut down. Not just close, as in the portal door, but actually shut down.

The swirling green energy of the Ghost Zone faded, and the skeletons who were on the threshold got blown forward into the chamber or back into the Ghost Zone, depending on how far across the threshold they were standing. And then, the green energy winked out, and the portal was just an empty tunnel of chips and wiring.

"And that, my friends, is how it's done."

"Save your boasting for later, child. There are still thousands of skeletons on this side."

"Right." Unhooking his PDA and shoving it back into his pocket, Tucker slipped his backpack straps over his shoulders, gripped his Mace Windu lightsaber in both hands, and ran after the last of the skeletons who were phasing up through the tunnel ceiling to the park above.

"Aw, is that all?" Irving shouldered his crowbar, looking disappointed as the chamber quickly emptied.

"Don't worry, there're plenty more to hit upstairs."

The fast-food manager grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

_**Amity Park**_

Valerie circled around on her sled for another pass at Aragon, hoping that she could get to him while he was busy trading insults and jets of blue flame with his sister, but so far, she hadn't been able to get close enough to get the amulet off his neck.

Dora dodged a volley of flame, a little slower than Valerie would have liked, thanks to her injured wing. But if she was in pain, she didn't show it. "Ha! You're showing your age, brother! You're not fifteen hundred anymore!"

"At least I'm not an old maid, you crone!"

Dora snorted. "Please. This is the twenty-first century. I don't need a husband to complete me. And speaking of marriage, I don't see your betrothed anywhere." She slapped her forehead with her front claw. "Oh, right. She ran off with the Ghost Boy. But what girl wouldn't pick a strong, handsome young man like him over a has-been like you?"

That definitely got Aragon fuming. Literally. Noxious green smoke was curling out of his nostrils. "Know your place, woman! I am Aragon the Second, rightful heir to our kingdom!"

"The right to rule comes from the people being ruled, not from some kind of birthright. You really need to get with the times, brother."

Aragon flew at her—and away from Valerie, who'd gotten within ten feet of getting that amulet off his neck. _Dang it, Dora. Can you keep him distracted in _one place_, please?_

But that was the least of their problems. Dora's wing slowed her down too much to dodge this time, and Aragon slammed into her left flank at full force, knocking her to the ground. Valerie willed her ecto-rifle into being and shot at him, but he fired back a wall of flame at her over his shoulder, and she had to veer away to keep from getting burned.

When the flames cleared, she circled for another pass, but was horrified to see she was too late. Aragon was standing over Dora, triumphant, her amulet dangling from his right foreclaw, which he held high over his head. Beneath him, Dora was bathed in a blue light, which gradually shrunk until she was a humanoid girl, lying at his feet.

"You don't deserve the crown, and you don't deserve this amulet, Dorothea. You are nothing but a weak, frail little girl, not worthy of the royal ectoplasm that flows through your veins."

"I've had enough of you and your sexist, elitist, middle-ages bull." Valerie let loose with the ecto-rifle in her hand and the twin guns mounted under her sled all at the same time, raining down pink ectoplasmic energy onto him in a deluge. Even with his thick dragon hide, he was forced to take shelter, ducking back into a grove of trees in the park.

Valerie landed her sled beside Dora and knelt beside the princess. "You okay?"

Dora sat up, brushing grass off her blue and green jumpsuit. "I'm fine, just angry. I let him do to me exactly what we needed to do to him."

"Do you have any powers when you're not in Dragon form?"

"Not ones that are useful for fighting, no. But regular ghost stuff like flying, invisibility, intangibility, yes."

"So, new plan. I'm the distraction, and you go after the amulet. You up for it?"

She flashed Valerie a tight grin. "Absolutely."

A swath of blue flames from the direction of the park announced Aragon's return. Dora turned herself invisible, while Valerie jumped back on her sled and flew up to meet Aragon. "Okay, scaly. The butt-kicking you're about to receive is brought to you on behalf of women everywhere." And she opened up once more with her ecto-rifle and sled-mounted guns.

Aragon countered with more blue flame, and Valerie switched her rifle from ectoplasm to Mr. Fenton's ice ray to block. The fire melted through the ice quickly, but it gave Valerie enough time to circle around for a fresh angle. She let loose with another volley of ice and pink ectoplasm, but this time, Aragon turned his back on her and lashed out with his tail. She dodged under it just in time, but barely—she could hear the whistle as the spiked tip flew within inches of her helmet.

Coming around for another pass, Valerie readied her ecto-rifle, but stopped when Aragon, who'd been taking in air to let loose with more flame, stopped short and reared back like a wild mustang that suddenly found itself with a rider. "What—? Get off me!"

He made a wild, uncontrolled turn, arching and bucking his back, and Valerie saw that the mustang comparison was more than just a simile—he actually did have a rider. Dora was clinging to his neck, holding tightly despite everything he did to buck her off.

Trying to distract him so Dora would have a chance to climb high enough on his neck to reach the amulet, Valerie called out to the black dragon. "Hey, dragon breath! Looks like you got a bad case of girl cooties there. What'll the other chauvinist dragons say?"

"Silence, girl! You—Dorothea, GET OFF OF ME!"

He bucked one more time, and Valerie gasped as she saw Dora flung clear. Kicking her sled into high gear, she flew after the princess, and managed to catch her in time to slow down her fall and keep her from breaking something else.

Still, they were going pretty fast when they hit the ground, and Valerie and Dora both tumbled off the sled as it furrowed into the dirt, digging up grass and soil. The two women rolled, landing in a heap about twenty yards away from where the sled had dug into the ground.

Valerie looked to Dora, concerned, but was surprised to see the princess smiling. "With pleasure, brother." And when she raised up her hand, Valerie saw that she was holding his amulet.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw the dragon transform into the scrawny, greasy little hooked-nose prince as he, too, crashed to the ground.

Jumping up onto her feet, Dora put Aragon's captured amulet around her neck. "Better get to him quick. He still has the amulet he took from me and can use it."

"Got it." Valerie sprinted back to her sled and yanked it out of the ground without stopping. After a few more steps, she let it go, and it automatically fired up and circled around for her to hop on, and they were off again. In two seconds, she was hovering above Aragon as he struggled to pick himself up off the grass.

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements if I were you." She charged up her ecto-rifle to punctuate her point. "Your dragon hide might be tough enough to keep this thing from doing much damage, but I doubt your human—uh, -_ish_ form is. I can put you in a world of hurt before you got that amulet around your neck, and don't think I wouldn't love doing it."

"It's okay, I've got this." Dora was at her side, a dragon once more. She picked up her brother in left foreclaw, holding out the right expectantly. "Your amulet, brother."

"Dorothea, let's not be hasty. We could work together. Think how two dragons could bring this town to its knees..."

Even with her dragon face, Dora's _Really?...Really?_ expression was plain.

Valerie let out a huff of air as she took stock of the situation around her. Skeletons still swarmed everywhere, despite the large number the humans had managed to beat back. Valerie frowned as a knot of worry formed in her stomach. _Where are you, Tucker? Why isn't that portal closed yet?_ She looked up at Dora. "You got this, right?"

"Oh, yes. My brother and I are going to have a little family reunion."

"Good. I wanna get over to the Nasty Burger and see what happened to Tucker. It shouldn't have taken this long to shut down the portal, but judging by the number of skeletons..." She bit the inside of her lip, clamping down on the worry and refusing to give it any power. _He may be a skinny little geek, but he knows how to take care of himself_.

Kicking down on her throttle, she raced over the melee of humans and skeletons still fighting in the streets, headed for the Nasty Burger. When she got to the door, she clicked her heels, and the sled folded in on itself, leaving her hurtling through the air on her own, but she hit the ground just outside the restaurant door without so much as breaking her stride and barreled through it into the restaurant—and right into Tucker, sending the two of them sprawling in a heap.

Tucker rubbed his head. "Ow. I told you, Valerie, we've gotta stop meeting like this."

Valerie was surprised at how relieved she was to see him. So relieved, that she threw her arms around his neck, barely noticing Irving and Technus as they ran and flew, respectively, past them.

"Tucker, you're okay!" Then, she pushed him back, annoyed. "Where were you? What took you so long to just shut down a stupid portal? That little remote mouse should've taken a couple of minutes, tops!" Before he could answer, she saw his torn right sleeve and the bloody gash beneath. "You're bleeding! What happened?"

"Whoa, hold up!" He put up his hands to defend himself against her barrage of questions. "You're giving me whiplash. In order: We were down in the portal chamber because the generator had its own shield and the mouse wouldn't work. It took so long because I had to hack into the wiring and power the thing down that way. So, no more skeletons are getting through. Not tonight, anyway. And the arm thing is just a surface cut, but I do have a nasty bruise on my back where some skeleton hit me with a mace, if you're looking for something to kiss and make better..."

He waggled his eyebrows at her, and Valerie snatched his beret off his head and smacked him with it. "There. All better now?"

"Not what I was hoping for..."

Valerie smacked him again with the hat before sticking it back on his head, then climbed to her feet and extended her hand to help him up. "Don't get too comfortable. We're not done yet. Aragon's out of the picture, but the town's still swarming with skeletons. The humans are holding up pretty well, but I think they could use some air cover."

"Yeah, I'll leave that to you. Me and my Mace Windu lightsaber will stay with the ground forces." He gave the dead prop in his hand a sad smile. "Even if it doesn't have the cool lights and sound effects back here in no-tech land."

Valerie rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't quite suppress the fond smile. "Geek."

He grinned in response. "You know it, baby."


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-three**

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Sam took a step back as Dani pressed her hands against the cave wall. They were glowing blue, but not as brightly as Danny's did when he was using his ice powers and, for a moment, Sam thought it wasn't going to work, that Danielle simply wasn't strong enough.

But then, she saw the water on the walls begin to frost over right where Dani's hands were. Slowly, the frost spread from her hands, traveling up the wall above and down to the cave floor below. As the ice spread, the glow did, too, radiating out from Dani's hands through the ice itself, until the whole cave was frozen over and glowing with blue energy.

"Get back! Stay away from the walls!" Sam warned the other ghosts gathered in the cavern, but she didn't need to. The cave quickly became silent as the ghosts moved away from the walls and watched the glowing, blue ice spread. Some even floated up off the ground, and Sam was glad her boots had such a good tread, because the cave floor was no longer wet from rain and melting ice, but was as slick as a skating rink.

Dani, her whole body glowing now, grunted in exertion, and Sam had to fight the urge to yank her away from the wall. Instead, she picked her way across the icy floor to the opening that overlooked the village square, trying to get close enough to look out and see if the ice was spreading beyond just this cave without putting herself at risk of slipping and tumbling down the side of the cliff.

As she leaned out as far as she dared, she could see the glowing ice was definitely spreading. The glow had even caught the attention of the ghosts and skeletons fighting below as they stopped to see where all that blue light was coming from.

"It's working, Dani!" Sam pulled back into the cave. "You're doing it! It's—" A gasp cut her short, and her smile faded as she saw Danielle, groaning like she was trying to push a two-ton boulder up a hill, sweat pouring off her face and the back of her neck and pooling on the collar of her jacket before turning to frost like everything else in the cave.

"Dani!" Sam rushed toward her, nearly losing her footing on the ice as she slid into Dani from behind. Seeing her up close, Sam gasped again as she realized it was much worse than she feared. The sweat dripping down Dani's face and neck was green. Not sweat at all, but ectoplasm, just like the day they'd rescued her from Vlad.

"Enough! Dani, this is killing you!" Sam grabbed her shoulder and tried to pull her away from the wall, but Dani blasted her with ice, sending her skidding backwards across the slick floor toward the tunnels that connected to the other caves.

"NO! Not... done..."

With some difficulty on the slippery floor, Sam struggled to her feet. "Dani, enough! You can't do this by yourself, it's too much!"

"Can... do... it..."

"No, you can't! It's too much!" Desperate, Sam looked around at the other ghosts. "Somebody help me stop her before she kills herself!"

Ghosts being ghosts, none of them seemed inclined to intervene, especially not when it meant stopping the re-freeze that they knew might be the only thing to save them. Casting her eyes around them, she looked for any familiar faces, anyone she could convince—

"Box Ghost! You're _really_ powerful. I know you can help me!"

His ego stoked, he looked from Sam to Dani and back. "Well—"

The Lunch Lady slapped the back of his head with a meaty hand. Literally meaty. "Stay out of this! We have the baby to consider!"

Sam ground her teeth together. "Please, this isn't going to work if she can't stay alive long enough to finish. She can't do this by her—" She caught sight of another familiar face at the back of the crowd, near the tunnels. A chubby green face under a shock of blond hair, over an equally chubby body clothed in pink striped pajamas. "_Klemper!_"

Startled, the buck-toothed ghost turned to face her, and she scrambled toward him, not even caring if she fell on the ice. "Klemper! Klemper! You have to help us!"

He looked around, as if not quite believing someone was actually talking to him. On purpose. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" She skidded out into the tunnel, crashing into the wall opposite, and landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor. "You have ice powers!"

"I—"

"You can help Danielle save the Far Frozen!"

He looked around again, still unsure. "I don't know..."

Sam picked herself up off the ground again. "They'll be your friends, Frostbite and his people."

"They will?"

"Are you kidding? If you help save their world, they're gonna be, like, your total BFFs. You wanna make new friends, don't you?"

A smile curled on his pudgy, purple lips. "What do I do?"

"Did you see what Danielle—Dani Phantom, the girl ghost in there—do you see what she's doing? Put your hands on the wall and see if your ice powers can feel the power from the Far Frozen."

Klemper frowned. "Uh..."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, like this!" Sam demonstrated.

Klemper imitated her, his eyes widening as he did so. "I can feel it! It's... it's sick, but it's getting better. It needs more ice."

"So, _give it more ice_!"

"Okay! You don't have to yell!" His hands started glowing blue like Dani's, but stronger, more steady, and the glow spread much more quickly.

"That's it, keep doing that! You're doing great, Klemper. Frostbite is gonna so be your B..uh, _E_FF! Best _ever_ friend forever!"

Smiling, Klemper redoubled his efforts, and Sam darted back into the cavern, skidding to a stop at Dani's side as she still struggled to pour ice into the walls.

"I got help, Dani. Another ghost with ice powers, he's—"

She didn't need to finish as a blinding blue light spread across the walls from the tunnel and out into the storm beyond, making any explanation unnecessary.

* * *

_**Above the Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Vortex laughed as another pathetic snow creature made a feeble attempt to attack, which the weather ghost batted aside with a bolt of lightning. It almost wasn't even fun anymore, the creatures had gotten so weak. When they'd first attacked, at least they'd presented a challenge, ice battling storm, snow battling rain. But they were no match for the storm, and as their realm below melted away under the deluge, they grew weaker and weaker, no longer fearsome creatures, but more like little rodents, easily swatted back with a broom.

But as one of them—the leader, Vortex thought, judging by his different color loincloth and the arm made of ice that was stubbornly refusing to melt—pulled his hover car back for another try, Vortex noted a change. It was subtle at first, like a thunderstorm slowing from deluge to downpour, but it was real. Not with the hapless snow creatures, but with their realm below. Something pushing back against the storm.

Frowning, Vortex pushed harder, crashing a bolt of lightning down onto the realm, then upping the wind. It didn't help. Whatever was pushing at the storm pushed a little harder.

This would not do. "No one stops my perfect storm!" Ignoring the snow creatures as they swarmed around him like gnats, he flew closer to the realm, increasing the wind another five miles an hour, and putting more force behind the rain. "That will teach you—"

A blinding, blue-white light exploded out from the realm, blasting him backwards and scattering the snow creatures.

Righting himself, he stared down at the realm. "No. No! This can't be!" He sent a bolt of lightning to split the sky, but nothing happened. He whipped up the wind. That worked at least, but it was a cold wind, much colder than should be for a thunderstorm. He opened up the skies to bring down more rain, but the rain didn't come.

Only snow.

"I believe there's been a change in the forecast, weather ghost."

"NO!" Vortex turned to find the snow creatures' leader before him, looking strong and healthy again, as he and his fellow creatures raised their paws and blasted him with ice.

* * *

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

When the light faded and Sam's vision started coming back to her, she half expected to find herself frozen in a block of ice, and all the ghosts in the cavern along with her. But she wasn't. She wasn't even cold—or at least not any colder than she normally was when she visited the Far Frozen. Everything just looked... normal. And outside—

"It's snowing!" Youngblood pushed through the crowd in the cave and leaned out the entrance, sticking out his tongue to let snowflakes land on it. "Ook!" He pointed at the flake on his tongue, his chest puffed out as if he'd actually created the snowflake himself. "Ih oowee!"

Ghosts crowded toward the entrance, pushing Sam uncomfortably close to the edge, but it gave her a good look. It wasn't just snowing. The thunderstorm had turned into a blizzard. A cheer rose up in the ghosts around her and those below who were still fighting the skeletons, and now that the rain was gone and the snowstorm was rebuilding the Far Frozen's natural defenses, the ghosts below fought with a new energy and vigor, turning the tide of the fight.

Sam pulled back into the cave and pushed her way through the ghosts crowded at the entrance. "Dani, you did it! You and Klemper, you—_Dani_!"

Slumped against the wall, her skin blue and her hair and body covered in chunks of green ice, lay Dani. Her heart pounding in her chest, Sam shoved her way through the ghosts with more urgency until she was at the girl's side.

"Dani! Dani, are you okay?" She lifted her wrist, looking for a pulse, anything to indicate she was still alive. _Oh, God, oh God, don't die, Dani, please don't die..._

Danielle's eyelids twitched, cracking some of the frost around them, and she opened her eyes to slits. "I did it."

Relief almost exploded out of Sam's chest, but it was tempered by the fear that Dani was clearly still in very real danger. "You did it. But now we need to get you to the medical center." She scooped the girl into her arms—no small feat, since she was practically frozen to the floor—and started to make her way back toward the tunnel, growling at any ghost who made the mistake of getting in her way. _"Move it!"_

Once she got past where the ghosts were crowded at the entrance that looked out over the cliff, it was easier going getting into the tunnels, although the ice made keeping her balance tricky, and her arms were already beginning to ache from Dani's weight.

"I did good, right?"

The voice from above startled Sam, and she nearly dropped Dani. Klemper, excited as a rather large puppy, swooped down to get in her face as she exited the tunnel. Getting a better grip on Dani, she gave Klemper a weary smile. "You did good, Klemper, but I've gotta—"

"Frostbite'll be my friend?"

"Yes, but Klemper—" Dani's arms, which were wrapped around Sam's neck, loosened, and her head lolled back. Sam struggled to get a better grip. "Come on Dani, stay with me!"

"She don't look too good."

"No, she's very sick, I have to get her—" Sam stopped. "Klemper, you're pretty strong, right? And you can fly?"

He nodded.

"And you've been staying here in the Far Frozen a while now, right? Do you know were the medical center is?"

"Sure, it's in the caves down below, not far from the one with those paintings of the Ghost Boy." Klemper frowned. "He never wants to be my friend."

"Listen, Klemper. This girl is his cousin, and she needs to get to the medical center right away. If you fly us there, I _promise_ you Danny will be your friend."

The ghost's small, red eyes lit up. "Really? He'll by my friend?"

"He'll _definitely_ be your friend if you help save his cousin. But we have to go fast, Klemper. She needs help _fast_."

Without another word, Klemper wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and picked her and Dani up together as if they were a couple of bags of flour, then flew them down through the tunnels. As they neared the ground level and the sounds of the battle outside filtered in, Sam shouted to Klemper, "We should probably be invisible so the skeletons don't come after us, don't you think?"

He nodded, and they all disappeared just as they exited the tunnels and out into the blizzard. Kemper kept flying, keeping well away from the battle, until he entered another cavern, and then they were in the medical center. He stopped, setting Sam down on her feet in the middle of the room, turning them all visible again.

The medical center was crowded with ghosts who'd been wounded by skeleton warriors. There were only four snow creatures there, trying their best to tend to the ghosts that were brought in, hoping to get patched up so they could go back out and wail on some more skeletons. Sam lowered Dani to the ground and knelt by her side, waving to get one of the snow creatures' attention. "Help, please! She needs help!"

One of the creatures, a female who was attending a banshee with a dagger stuck in her shoulder, rushed over. "What happened?"

"She used her ice powers to bring the ice back to the Far Frozen, but it wiped her out. She's also been poisoned by ectoranium, which is why I think she's... bleeding ectoplasm, or whatever that is."

The snow creature looked at her. "This is the girl that saved the Far Frozen?"

"I helped!" Klemper told her.

Sam nodded. "Yes. It was Dani's idea. And Klemper helped."

The snow creature waved at one of her fellows. "Icicle, over here! This is the Savior of the Far Frozen! She needs to be put in a de-icing chamber, and she needs an ectoplasmic abstergent injection!"

Sam swallowed as the other snow creature joined the first and the two picked up Dani, hoping they knew how to treat a half human. _They helped Danny before_, she reminded herself. Following the creatures to a gurney by one of those strange Star-Wars-bacta-tank things, she watched as they laid Dani down and began to strip off her parka and hoodie. "Is she going to be okay? She's not... she won't..."

The second snow creature, Icicle, gave her a toothy smile. "She's the Savior of the Far Frozen. We won't let her die."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-four**

_**Realm of Fears  
The Ghost Zone**_

Danny refused to let himself scream as the ectoranium seared into him, setting fire to raw skin and filling his nostrils with the acrid tang of blood, ectoplasm, and ozone. Instead, he forced himself to keep howling. Nothing else mattered. Not the acid burn of ectoranium raining down on him. Not his dad, crumpled in a heap—unconscious or dead, Danny didn't know. Not his mom, lost in her own nightmare world. Nothing mattered but the monster that caused all of it, and stopping him, whatever it took.

So Danny put everything he had into his Ghostly Wail, sound fighting light, pushing back at the ectoranium that wanted to melt him like that Nazi leader in _Raiders of the Lost Ark_. If he could just wail long enough, push hard enough...

But Vlad stood his ground too, pouring ectoranium into him. It shredded through the Wraith Wrangler binding him and threatened to vaporize his backpack and jumpsuit as well, but free of the constricting resin-coated rope around his chest, Danny was able to put more force into his Wail and keep the ectoranium from doing any more damage beyond the nearly unbearable pain in ever molecule in his body.

He couldn't keep it up much longer, though. Vlad's powers, juiced up by the dark energy of the realm, were strong enough to keep the sonic waves from blasting him, and there was only so long Danny could keep wailing. More than just sound, his Ghostly Wail was a massive bust of pure, physical energy that drained him of all his reserves. Sweat ran down his forehead—or maybe it was his own ectoplasm seeping through his pores like blood—and his muscles were beginning to spasm from the electric-like burn of the ectoranium, but still he kept wailing.

He could feel it when he hit his breaking point, his lungs straining as he pushed himself like a runner towards the finish line and then beyond, making his Ghostly Wail both the irresistible force and the immovable object, until there was nothing left, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees and waited for the ectoranium to incinerate him.

Only... it didn't. His arms were still twitching and his chest was heaving, even though technically he didn't need to breathe in ghost form. But there was no more ectoranium coming at him.

_Did I get him? Did I actually beat him?_

Danny raised his head and saw Vlad, still in human form, standing more or less where he'd been when he'd first attacked, a few dozens yards away. His white hair was disheveled, most of it pulled loose from its ponytail and hanging in a wild mass around his face. But other than that, he looked the same. The Ghostly Wail hadn't hurt him, hadn't even moved him, and he wasn't so much as breathing heavy the way Danny was.

And his hands were still glowing green.

_Well, dammit. I am _so_ screwed. _

Slowly, Danny pulled himself to his feet as he mentally prepared for the next onslaught. The Wail wasn't an option—he was lucky he was still in ghost form at all. But he still had his ice powers, so he let the cold build until there was no place for it to go but out, like Frostbit had taught him—was it only a year ago? Felt like three lifetimes.

A smile curled onto Vlad's thin lips. "Did you really think you could beat me _here_? My power is endless here!"

"So's your ego. And your supply of crazy. That's pretty endless, too."

Vlad's eyes burned red, and the green glow around his hands got a little brighter. "I told you, Daniel, I've lost my patience with you. You don't even have a little bit of your mother in you. You truly are your father's son."

"That just might be the best compliment you could ever give me, Vlad."

Snorting, Vlad rolled his eyes. "Always you choose defeat."

Behind Vlad, Danny saw a movement and had to concentrate on building up the cold inside him to keep Vlad from seeing his relief.

His dad was getting up. His dad was _okay_.

More importantly, his dad still had the Ghost Peeler. Maybe he could give it another go. Surely the standoff with the Ghostly Wail had made Vlad a _little_ more vulnerable.

There were a couple of flaws with this plan, if it could even be called plan. For one thing, the Ghost Peeler was not a quick-fire weapon. Before his dad could even fire it, he'd have to trigger the armor mechanism, which would give Vlad more than enough time to blast him before the weapon was even ready.

_Unless he's already focused on blasting me._

Easy enough to goad him into doing that, but the second flaw in the plan was how tapped he was. The freeze powers were there, but he wasn't going to have enough to use them offensively to actually hit Vlad with them. He'd be able to shield himself—and even that wouldn't last long—and that was pretty much all he had.

Then there was the fact that he couldn't communicate any of this to his dad. All he could do was hope that if he got Vlad attacking him, his father would do the rest.

Toward that end, he flashed a tight grin. "If the Fentons are such losers, how come my dad got the girl and all you got was a plushie doll and a lonely-guy cat?"

That set Vlad off. "He didn't _get_ her, he _stole_ her! Like Gianciotto, he used tricks and deceit to steal her from her true love. And he came here to kill me, but she fought him, and she fought you, too. My Francesca, stepping in to save Paolo from Gianciotto's sword!"

"Dude, _you_ stabbed _her, _and sent her here to _live out her worst fear_. She thinks we're dead, that we're just the ghosts of who we used to be. That's her worst fear, that we're gone and she's stuck with _you_."

His dad was on his feet now, gripping the Ghost Peeler. _Come on, Dad. One more shot. This is our last chance._

Vlad's hands glowed a little brighter. "Don't think I won't destroy you. And now that you've exhausted yourself with your Ghostly Wail, it'll be so easy."

"Give it your best shot." He drew on the cold, preparing to shield himself as Vlad's hands rose up to blast him.

Too late, he saw the glint in Vlad's eyes. Too late, he saw the slight shift in weight that telegraphed Vlad's intent to pivot to his left. Too late, he realized that he was completely out of position to use his ice powers to shield Vlad's actual intended target.

Not him, but his father.

"NOOOOOOOO! DAD!" Danny dove right as Vlad turned to his left, but it was a useless gesture. He was too wiped to move at even a fraction of his usual speed. He couldn't get between them in time, he couldn't reach Vlad to tackle him or throw off his aim. He had no offensive powers left, ice or otherwise. He was completely powerless to stop the ectoranium—

Only it never came. His hands up, ready to fire, Vlad stopped short, a look of shock etched onto his face. Danny skid to a halt, confused.

And then, he saw the green sword tip that had sprouted in the middle of Vlad's chest. _What the—?_

Vlad dropped to his knees, and the sword came up through him, not cutting him so much as phasing through him. And that was when Danny understood what had happened.

His mother was standing behind Vlad, her hands clasping the hilt of the Soul Shredder.

With confusion in his eyes that was almost palpable, Vlad looked up over his shoulder at her. "Maddie?"

Pulling the glowing, green sword out of him, she shouldered it. "I don't care if they are just ghosts. You will never hurt my family again."

"But I... I..." And then he screamed. Not like a Ghostly Wail, but something nearly as unearthly, a shriek of fear and outrage and betrayal that was painful to hear, even coming from someone Danny hated as much as Vlad.

At first, he thought it was just the indignation that it had been _her_, of all people, to get him, but it soon became apparent something more was going on. Smoky, black Shades began to gather around him, not just one or two, but a swarm, thickening like bees, buzzing, angry. And they weren't just surrounding him. They dove into his mouth, wide open as he screamed, into his ears, his eyes, until there were none left. Just Vlad, screaming.

"What's happening to him?" Danny's dad was at his shoulder, the Ghost Peeler hanging unused at his side.

Danny shook his head slowly, transfixed by the horrifying sight. "I don't know." He had half an impulse to try and help, to do something to stop whatever was happening, but a stronger sense told him it was too late, that the Soul Shredder had done its job.

Then, he remembered. "The Soul Shredder! The Fright Knight said if you got cut with it here, in the Realm of Fears, your worst fears would become real—and permanent." He turned to his father. "What's Vlad's worst fear, Dad?"

"I think we're about to find out."

Still screaming, Vlad raised his hands up into the air, as if imploring to heaven—or whatever passed as such in the Ghost Zone—and the green ectoranium glow emanating from them flickered and died. As the last Shade disappeared down his throat, green vapor curled off him like smoke or steam, rising up into the gray atmosphere and evaporating.

When at last the tendril of green was gone, Vlad collapsed down onto his hands, breathing heavily.

"Vladdy?" Danny's dad took a tentative step forward, but Danny grabbed his arm, holding him back.

Vlad looked up, his hair even more wild and tangled than before, and his eyes hallow and skin gaunt, as if he'd aged 30 years. He settled back onto his knees and held his hands in front of him, palms up, as if he were inspecting them for some sort of mark, although they were trembling so violently, Danny wasn't sure if he'd be able to see whatever it was he was looking for.

"It's gone!" He jerked his head up to Danny and Jack, then thrust his hands out as if to blast them with more ectoranium.

Danny took a reflexive step in front of his dad, but nothing happened. No ectoranium. Not even his old pink ectoplasm. Nothing.

Vlad stared at his hands again, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, it can't be gone! I can't be an ordinary human again!"

Danny exchanged glances with his dad before turning back to Vlad. "_That's_ your worst fear? Being a regular human?"

Vlad's head jerked up again, as if only just then realizing they were there. "Daniel? Jack?" Tentatively, as if terrified of what he'd find behind him, he looked over his shoulder. "Maddie?"

She looked down at him, her eyes cold and hard. "Stay away from me, Vlad. Stay away from me, from my home, from my town. And stay away from the ghosts of my family. You've destroyed enough. I'm through."

And then, she vanished, and the Soul Shredder clattered to the ground.

* * *

_**Nasty Burger  
Amity Park**_

Tucker stared in amazement at the scene outside the Nasty Burger as he and Valerie walked out the door. Skeleton warriors were everywhere. Only, unlike previous invasions where they rampaged through the streets unimpeded, save for their small group of ghost fighters and maybe some police officers, this time they weren't getting very far. The citizens of Amity Park had clearly had enough of ghost raids and were taking their wrath out on the drones.

And all without high-tech weapons. It was like watching the Ewoks take out a legion of stormtroopers on Endor with nothing but logs, rocks, and a healthy dose of death-to-the-oppressor rage.

Irving had already joined the fray with the same relish he'd shown down in the tunnels. Dash, Kwan, and a bunch of their jock friends had liberated a few skeletons of their skulls and were using them like dodge balls to mow down others that were stupid enough to get too close to them. Jazz was wielding a Jack o' nine tails with ninja-like skill, lassoing skeletons and shattering them into bone fragments. Mr. Lancer was chasing a skeleton down the street with a baseball bat. Paulina and some of the other cheerleaders had some sort of synchronized routine involving kicks, flips, and one impressive move from Starr that ended in the splits and was almost enough to have Tucker rethinking his never-again-not-in-a-million-years-nuh-uh-no-way-never policy towards her.

Over by the park, Sam's parents and Mr. Gray were using crossbows to keep skeletons from getting too far uptown or downtown, while Tucker's own mother was doing a surprisingly good job keeping warriors back with what looked like one of his dad's golf clubs. Tucker breathed out a small sigh of relief—it was the first time since this morning, long before everything had gone completely to hell, that he'd seen her. He spotted his dad, too, pushing Sam's grandmother up and down the street in her wheelchair as she rained arrows down on skeleton ghosts with a precision that would have shocked him if it had come from any old lady other than Ida Manson.

Technus had joined in, too, and was lighting up the sky with ectoplasm, but he seemed almost superfluous.

Tucker whistled. "Wow. They're really kicking butt. Who knew so many people in this town could fight ghosts?"

Valerie shook her head as she stepped onto her sled. "What did you expect? You live in Baghdad, you learn to make Molotov cocktails. You live in Amity Park, you learn to fight ghosts. And it's not a spectator sport, by the way. Feel free to join in anytime." Kicking down on the throttle, she jetted off.

"Sure, easy for you to say, Ms. I-Have-Funky-DNA-So-My-Tech-Still-Works." He looked at his dead lightsaber. "Oh, well, baby. Time to bust a few skulls. I just wish we could do it with your awesome light and sound effects show."

Gripping the lightsaber handle in both hands, he was about to run out into the street and the nearest swarm of skeleton ghosts when a sort of whooshing sound, like a tornado passing overhead, stopped him in his tracks. Looking up, he saw the green glow in the sky slide away, like it was being recalled back towards the old house on Maple it had come from. And in its wake, streetlights begin popping on up and down the street, and the red lights of the Nasty Burger signed flickered on with a neon buzz.

In his hands, the lightsaber replica snapped and hummed, and the purple LED lights came on. Tucker blinked. "Is Desiree here or something?"

Then, one by one, skeleton ghosts winked out of existence, leaving nothing but a litter of busted bones and dented helmets behind.

A cheer rose up from the crowd, drowning out the hum of the lights and the air conditioning unit chugging to life on the roof of the Nasty Burger, and people began hugging each other, celebrating in the streets like their team had just won the Super Bowl. But Tucker just blinked at the lights. _What the hell?_

Valerie circled around and then came in to land beside him. Jumping off her sled, she fell on him in another bone-crunching bear hug. "They did it! I can't believe they actually did it! I thought he was nuts, but they did it!"

As much as he would have loved to hug Valerie for a good long while, confusion won out, and Tucker pushed her off him. "Who did what? What the hell just happened here? I thought the only way for the lights to come back on was if someone beat Vlad."

Behind her helmet, Valerie's smile was electrifying. "That _is_ the only way. Don't you get it? That means Danny and his dad beat him. They actually beat him!" And then, she was hugging him again.

"Valerie, stop!" He pushed her back once more. "Not that I'm one to turn down a hug or ten from a gorgeous woman, but again I say, the _hell_? Danny went after _Vlad_? Last I checked, we all decided we couldn't take him yet. Unless his mom found a weakness?"

She shrugged. "I didn't see his mom, but his dad sure got some kind of bee in his bonnet. Made me open a portal and take him to the Far Frozen to get Danny so they could go after Vlad tonight. I thought he was nuts, but he was _pissed_. Never seen him like that." She paused, cocking her head. "Wait. Did you just call me gorgeous?"

Ignoring the question, Tucker tried to wrap his head around the rest of what she'd just said. "And they went after Vlad and..." He blinked again as it finally sunk in. "They _beat_ him. They beat _Vlad_. It's over!" This time, he was the one who threw his arms around her. She hugged him back, but not for nearly as long as he would have liked before she pushed him off this time.

"Tucker, I just remembered! When Danny's dad and I got to the Far Frozen, it was a war zone. Skeleton warriors surrounding the place—well, I guess they'd be gone, too, wouldn't they? But there's still Vortex and that big-ass thunderstorm melting all the ice—"

"Hold up. Vortex? A thunderstorm? In the _Far Frozen_?"

"Yeah, I think that's who Danny said was causing it. Something about Vlad breaking him out from the Guys in White? I don't know, but it was nasty, and if Danny left with his dad to go after Vlad—"

"Then even without the skeleton warriors, the Far Frozen's in trouble." _And so are Sam and Danielle._

"We gotta go help them, Tuck."

He nodded, then froze, his heart sinking when he realized what that meant. "You're gonna make me ride on your sled again, aren't you?"

She nodded, then held out her hand, where a helmet materialized. "Suit up, fly boy. We're going in."


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-five**

_**Realm of the Far Frozen  
The Ghost Zone**_

Worrying over a half-ghost in danger was nothing new for Sam. Neither was doing the worrying while sitting in a hospital. It was how she'd spent the first few hours of Danny's life as a half-ghost, after all. Okay, worrying while sitting in a _Ghost Zone_ medical facility was a little new, but the helplessness, the desperate prayers to God to please help, please let it all be okay, that was exactly the same.

But the unconscious figure floating in one of those _Star Wars_ tank things in front of her, swathed in a white dressing gown and wearing a scuba-like mask, was not Danny. And yet, the worry was exactly the same.

The good news was, Icicle and Blizzard, the two snow creatures who had treated Danielle, seemed pretty confident that she'd be fine. The bacta tank thing was a de-icing chamber, which would take care of frostbite, hypothermia, or any other problems associated with pretty much freezing herself into a solid block. And they'd given her something for the ectoranium poisoning, too. That worried Sam a little more. If whatever they'd given her was anything like the ecto-purifier Mrs. Fenton used, it could be doing as much damage as good. And if it wasn't like ecto-purifier, how could they be sure it would help at all?

In the medical center behind her, she could hear excited chatter, and something from outside in the village that sounded like a party had broken out. She tuned it out and leaned toward the de-icing tank, putting her palm against the glass. "You hear that, Dani? Sounds like they've won. And it's all because of you. You saved the Far Frozen and every single ghost in it. See? We told you Vlad didn't get everything. You're stronger than he is, stronger than Vortex and a few hundred skeleton warriors combined. So you can beat this, too, right?" _Please be strong enough. Please come back._

There was no response from Dani, but that was okay, Sam told herself. Blizzard had said it might take a while for her to regain consciousness.

Leaning back in her chair next to the tank, Sam let the excited buzz from the room behind her wash over her, too tired to pay attention to it. Mostly she just hoped it would make a difference, that Dani would somehow feel the positive energy and that that would make a difference.

"Sam! There you are!"

Sam turned, surprised to see Tucker rush into the medical center. Behind him was Valerie, and as soon as she caught sight of Dani, she pushed past Tucker and ran straight toward the tank, pulling off her helmet as she did so. "Oh, my God, Dani! What happened?"

Sam jumped to her feet and held out a hand to stop her before she crashed headlong into the tank. "She's okay. Or, at least the doctors or medics or whatever say she's going to be fine."

"What is that thing, and why is she in it?"

"It's a de-icing chamber. She got a little... frozen over." Sam moved aside to let Valerie step all the way up to the glass, then turned and put a hand on her shoulder. "She saved the Far Frozen. Used her ice powers to re-ice the realm itself and beat back Vortex's storm. From what I hear, Frostbite and the rest of his warriors made pretty short work of Vortex after that."

Valerie gave her a look that made freezing over the entire Far Frozen seem like a warm spring breeze in comparison. "She used her powers? Her _ice_ powers? The ones Mrs. Fenton said makes her even sicker than using her regular powers?"

"Isn't that what you'd do, if you had the powers to save the Far Frozen and all the ghosts in it? It's what _Danny_ would do." That was a variation on the speech she'd been rehearsing in her head to give to Danny when he came back. She told the dark voice in her head that whispered, _If he comes back_ that it could just shut the hell up.

Valerie let out a long breath. "Yeah. I guess she did what she had to do. But she's gonna be okay?"

Sam nodded with a confidence she didn't quite feel. "Blizzard, the medic who's been working with her, said she thinks she'll be fine. And they're calling her the Savior of the Far Frozen, just like her 'cousin,' the Savior of the Ghost Zone. They're not gonna let anything happen to her."

Tucker joined them at the tank. "She really saved the whole Far Frozen?"

"Yep. Well, her and Klemper. Who's kind of expecting Danny to be his new best friend now. We should probably give him a heads up when he gets back." _When, not if_, she firmly told the dark voice.

"Well, that should be anytime now."

Sam jerked her head around to face Tucker so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. "What? Why, do you know something?"

"The skeleton warriors disappeared. Here and in Amity Park. And the power came back on."

Sam's eyes widened as her heart leaped into her throat. "The power came back? That could only happen if..."

"Vlad was defeated. I know." Tucker gave her a broad grin. "I don't know how, but he must've done it. Danny beat Vlad."

"Dani!" For a moment, Sam couldn't figure out why Valerie was shouting Danny's name, until she realized she was crying out to _Danielle_, and Sam's attention was immediately back on the the tank where, inside, Dani's eyelids were fluttering. Sam called for Blizzard while Valerie pressed both hands against the glass. "Dani, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

She blinked a few times, groggy. "Did I... hear... right? Danny... beat Vlad?"

"Someone must have. The skeleton warriors disappeared and the green dome is gone in Amity Park. It's over. I don't know how, but Vlad's done."

A smile spread across Danielle's face. "Then yeah. I'm okay."

* * *

_**Realm of Fears  
The Ghost Zone**_

"MADDIE!"

Danny's dad and Vlad shouted out in unison, Vlad reaching out with one shaking hand to the empty space where she'd been, while Jack lunged forward.

But Danny held his father back again. "It's okay, Dad. We—no. _She_ defeated Vlad. She's just been sent back to where she was when he stabbed her with the sword. She's back in Amity Park, back in reality. She's not living out her worst fears anymore."

Vlad turned toward them. "Daniel... Jack? I'm... alone."

"Duh!" Danny shook his head. "You made _that_ choice a long time ago. You could have had a family—you could have had _this_ family, if you'd wanted. Not the _way_ you wanted, not being with my mom, but you could've been part of our family just the same. Lord knows my dad always wanted you to be. But you chose to throw that all away by being... well, _you_. So don't think we're gonna start feeling sorry for you because you're alone. Your life's a mess you made yourself."

"But I... I'm really _alone_. No family. No friends. No powers. I'm alone."

"I think we just covered that."

"No, son." Danny's dad put a hand on his shoulder, his voice quiet, almost hushed. "That's his worst fear. His life, exactly as it is, only without the illusion that it was anything else. And without any powers."

"Alone. Alone, alone, alone..." Vlad started rocking back and forth, looking more like an autistic child than the sociopathic megalomaniac Danny had always known him to be.

"Oh, man, he's really lost it." With some trepidation, Danny stepped away from his dad and circled around behind Vlad, half expecting him to have one last trick behind his back. "What do we do with him?"

His dad stared down at his former best friend, who kept rocking back and forth. "Well, first, we need to get out of this freaky realm and back to Amity Park. Then, I guess... a hospital?"

"He blackmailed the whole _world_, Dad. I think the police or the feds or someone are gonna want to talk to him."

"I don't think he's in any— _Danny, look out!_"

Danny felt that tingle of cold that was his ghost sense at the same moment his dad shouted the warning, and he dove to the side just as a green blade slashed through the now empty space where he'd been. Tucking into a roll, he let his momentum carry him some distance away, hoping to draw his attacker away from his dad. Still wiped from the ectoranium and Ghostly Wail, he got to his feet slower than he would have liked. "Almost forgot you were here, Fright Knight. You didn't strain yourself, watching us fight Vlad or anything?"

The Fright Knight pivoted to face him—and away from his dad, exactly as Danny had hoped. "I told you, I came for my sword, not your fight."

"If that's all you cared about, you could have taken it after Vlad left it in the ground, long before my mom got a hold of it. You wanted Vlad to lose."

"True. Or you to lose. Either suits my purposes. Both suits my purposes even better."

Danny crossed his arms. "Here's the deal. Vlad's out of the picture, and you helped—sorta—make that happen, so I'm gonna make you a one-time offer. You've got your sword. Take it and go."

Even behind that black helmet, Danny could see the ghost sneer. "And miss this opportunity to take you out once and for all, as well? We're in the Realm of Fears, child! Your worst nightmare will become real." And then, he lunged with the Soul Shredder.

"Trust me. _No one_ wants my worst nightmare to be real." Danny went intangible, but just enough to phase backwards through his own backpack, putting it in front of his chest. Turning solid again, he grabbed the backpack with both hands and used it like a shield as the Fright Knight stabbed the sword through the blue canvas.

A blinding, white light strobed out from the bag, then an explosion of green energy blew Danny and the Fright Knight back in opposite directions.

"DANNY!" His dad rushed toward them.

Danny climbed to his feet. "I'm fine, Dad."

The Fright Knight, surprisingly nimble with all that armor, was on his feet in an instant, as well. "What? _What have you done?_"

"I told you it was only a one-time offer." With a grim smile, Danny went over to where his backpack lay on the ground between him and the Fright Knight, with the sword still plunged into it. "_To cease the storm, To end the fear, The sword must sheathe_..." He unzipped the backpack to reveal what was inside.

A foam rubber decorative jack-o-lantern.

"_...In pumpkin near_. Shoulda taken the deal, bucket head."

The Fright Knight was incensed. "What? _How?_"

"Like it? I borrowed it from Sam. Been carrying that sucker around with me all day. When she got that book yesterday and explained how the whole pumpkin thing works, I figured it was only a matter of time before you double-crossed Vlad and became a free agent again. The Ghost of Halloween. Who knew it'd take less than twenty-four hours?"

"But... it's _summer_! Pumpkins aren't in season!"

Danny laughed. "Dude. I'm a ghost dating a goth. _Every_ day is Halloween."

The sword and pumpkin flashed again, blasting Danny back once more, then it crackled with bolts of green electricity. Remembering the massive ecto-storm that got whipped up the last time he'd stuck the Soul Shredder into a pumpkin, Danny flew over to his dad and grabbed him. "I don't know what it's gonna do, since we're already in the Realm of Fears, but the last time this happened, it made an ecto-tornado. We'd better grab Vlad and get far, far away."

His dad nodded, looking a little numb, and the two of them scrambled over to where Vlad was still sitting on his knees, rocking, oblivious to what was happening around him.

"Alone... alone... alone..."

Danny's dad grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, Vladdy. Time to go!"

Like a child, Vlad complied, letting Jack pull him to his feet as Danny grabbed his dad by the arm, intending to fly the three of them as far away from the pumpkin and sword as possible. But instead of the wind storm Danny was expecting, something more like an earthquake rumbled beneath them, with cracks forming in the gray ground. Shades flew through the air, shrieking, as the ground, sky, everything in all directions cracked and fragmented.

"DANNY!" His dad shoved him and Vlad down and hovered over them both as a shard of gray—sky? glass?—fell down from above. Remembering that humans, not ghosts, were intangible to Ghost Zone objects, Danny turned himself human, and the three of them huddled in place, keeping their heads down as the world shattered around them.

* * *

"Danny? Are you okay? Son?"

"I think so. You?" Danny opened his eyes, half expecting to see his dad bleeding and bruised from the sky having literally fallen in on them. Instead, he found the three of them—himself, his dad, and Vlad—huddled on the floor of the Great Hall of Pariah's Keep. "What the—? How did we get here?"

Getting to his feet, his dad shrugged. "Not sure, but I think it had something to do with that." Jerking a thumb over his shoulder, he pointed to a curtain at the end of the Great Hall. Sitting on a dais in front of the curtain was Sam's foam pumpkin with the Soul Shredder stuck in it.

"Huh. I guess it really did 'end the fear.' Cracked the entire realm apart and brought us back to where the Soul Shredder belongs." So, if the fear was really gone... He looked down at Vlad. "How is he?"

He knew the answer before he even asked the question. Vlad was sitting on the floor, still rocking, his hair wild and matted, and his eyes sunken and... empty. "Alone... alone... alone..."

"Same." Danny's dad went over to him and, with more gentleness than Danny could have mustered, considering everything Vlad had done, he took Vlad's elbow and helped him up. "Come on, Vladdy. Time to go."

Again, like a child being led by his father, Vlad complied, getting to his feet. But the blankness did not leave his eyes.

Danny averted his gaze. It was disconcerting, seeing someone who had wielded so much power over them, done so much damaged, caused so much pain, looking so... helpless. He was Danny's parents' age, but he looked ancient, like someone's grandfather who was in the final throes of dementia.

Swallowing, he forced himself to look back at his father and Vlad. "Go where, Dad? What are we going to do with him? I need to get back to the Far Frozen, make sure Dani and Sam—"

"We can't just leave him here. Made that mistake before, and I won't do it again. And I don't think we want to drag him to the Far Frozen, especially not with all those ghosts there who'll be out for blood."

"I have half a mind to let 'em have him."

"He's human, remember."

Danny sighed. "Yeah, I remember. You're right."

"So, we take Vladdy back to Amity Park, then you can come back to the Far Frozen."

"Okay, then our next problem is how to get back to Amity Park. I hope you have the Porta-Portal on you, because the Fenton Portal is still locked down, thanks to the Morons in White."

His dad shrugged. "It was in my duffel bag."

"Well, that's better than if it had been in my backpack, at least. Any idea where it might be? I mean, it is a real-world item, so hopefully..." He looked around, then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his dad's duffel bag sitting on the carpet just a few feet away. Going over to it, he dug through the weapons his dad had packed until he found the small, boxy remote. "Okay, here it is. This'll get us back to our house, right? And then...?"

"We take Vladdy to the hospital. The authorities can do what they want, but he needs help first." Taking Vlad by the arm, he guided him down the carpeted hall toward the huge double doors at the other end.

Watching them, Danny cocked his head. "You're pretty amazing, you know that, Dad? After everything he's done, you're treating him—"

"Like he's my responsibility?"

"He's not, you know. He created this mess, not you."

"I know. But a lot could have been different if I'd just paid attention to what was really going on instead of wishing things were how I wanted them to be. A lot could've been different if I'd have helped him when he asked me to after he failed to make the asteroid intangible. If I hadn't have left him stranded up there."

Like back in the Far Frozen, Danny was at a complete loss for what he could say to his father. But he knew what he could _do_ for him. Coming around on the opposite side from his dad, he took Vlad's other arm. "Come on, Vlad. It's time to go home."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-six**

_**City Hall  
Amity Park**_

"I had a feeling I'd find you here."

Danny turned his gaze away from the statue of his ghost side holding the world aloft in his hand to face a much more pleasant sight—Sam climbing the steps of City Hall towards where he was seated. Rubbing his hands absently on his jeans, he offered her a sheepish smile. "Well, Dani's up and around and doing much better, and she almost took my head off for 'hovering'—

"You are a hoverer."

"Yeah, well, she almost _died_ yesterday."

Sam pressed her lips together for a moment before responding. "I know."

"But now that she's better, she's giving me hell for giving _her_ hell about that, so I figured I'd better get out of the house for a while, give us both some breathing room."

Sam stopped a couple steps below him. "So, you came here. Alone."

"What else was I gonna do?"

"I don't know. _Anything_ but come here? You could've called me and Tucker—"

"Tucker's busy with mayor stuff—the cleanup from all the battles, making sure the power outage didn't cause any long-term problems, fighting the Guys in White to end the state of emergency, getting the Fenton Portal unlocked. He's probably in there right now." He jerked his head to the building behind him. "Even though it's way after five." Danny wasn't sure of the exact time, but the sun had gone down a little while before Sam arrived, meaning it had to be at least nine o'clock. "And you're—"

Then, he remembered why he hadn't called Sam, and he sat up straight. "You're grounded. Tell me you didn't sneak out or storm out or whatever."

"Take it easy. The whole beating-Vlad-and-ending-the-ghost-war thing put my parents in a pretty good mood. I'm out on parole."

Danny relaxed. "Good."

"But even if you did think I was grounded, I'm sure you coulda found something better to do than coming out here to brood alone. Or is that gonna be your new thing now? 'Cause I know I'm a goth and everything, but the broody-guy thing is _such_ a turn-off."

He crossed his arms, defensive. "I'm not brooding."

"Uh-huh. You came here to stare at the statue you've decided is some kind of mandate to bask in the hero worship, then?"

That was worse. "No! I—"

"Skip it. Just don't think I'm gonna let you brood alone."

"I'm not brooding," he insisted, but slid over to make room on the step for her. "Actually, I _was_ happy to see you. Until you got all preachy."

She arched an eyebrow as she sat down beside him. "I'm not trying to be preachy. I'm just—"

"Worried about me. I know. Got that from the other night. _Definitely_ got it from my mom. Apparently, her worst fear is that she let me take on too much and it's gonna get me killed." He looked down, trying to shut out the memory of his mother falling apart as she apologized to him for the burdens he had to carry.

Sam slipped her right hand into his left. "She's fine, now. It's all good."

"I know." He looked up at her. "And I am happy to see you, preachiness notwithstanding. Between Vlad and my mom and Dani and just everything going on last night, I didn't get a chance to give this to you when I first saw you in the Far Frozen." He pulled his dad's class ring out of pocket and held it out to her. "Promise kept."

Still holding his hand with her right, she took the ring in her left hand, but almost apprehensively, her eyes downcast, and she was chewing on her lip the way she did when she was upset.

He frowned. "What? Did I do something—?"

"Not you. Me. I know I didn't keep up my end of the deal. Promised to keep Danielle safe, and..." She trailed off, lips pressed together again. Then, she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Danny, I really am. But it was the right thing. She needed to do it. Not just for the Far Frozen, but for herself."

He nodded slowly. "I know she did. I mean, I was terrified when I saw her in that de-icing tank, don't get me wrong. And I'm never gonna stop being protective of her. But I get it. She did what she had to do. She saved the Far Frozen and everyone in it." Squeezing her hand, he was almost overwhelmed by a sudden wave of gratitude. "And then, you saved her. So, I think you definitely kept your promise. Big time. And I will never, ever forget that."

She relaxed a little. "So, we're good?"

"We are _beyond_ good..." And he kissed her. It was a long, leisurely kiss, blissfully free of the pressures of another fight or imminent danger or fears for their lives. When they broke for air, he kept his forehead against hers, breathing her in. "I am so ridiculously crazy about you."

Her face lit up. "Okay, you win. You're definitely not brooding, because you aren't this pleasant to be around when you are."

He couldn't help but smile. "Told you. So... you wanna put that ring back on? I like it better when it's on your finger."

"Me, too." She pulled back and slipped the ring onto her left ring finger before turning to him again. "So, why did you come here, then, if not for the ritual self-flagellation?"

Scowling at the crack, he leaned back on his elbows on the step behind him and looked at the statue, becoming more pensive as he did so. "I don't know. To think."

"In the shadow of a giant tribute to your awesomeness?"

"Make up your mind. Either you think I come here for the ego trip or to beat myself up. Which is it?"

She tilted her head back, considering. "A little of both."

"Well, this time it's neither. So there. I think mostly I'm here now because I realize this statue got it wrong. No offense to your grandma."

"She doesn't offend easily." Sam turned and studied the statue. "So, how does it get it wrong? Besides dooming you to a life of single-handedly bearing the weight of the world, I mean."

"It's saying I'm a hero just because I used my powers and my connections to the Ghost Zone to save the world from that asteroid. And that doesn't make me a hero."

"Not to swing you towards the ego-trip side of the Force, but I kinda think it does."

He turned toward her, studying her face in the yellow glow of the streetlights, blissfully free of any green tinge. With Vlad defeated, Tucker hadn't bothered to turn on the ghost shields. "Not really. I mean, who _didn't_ do everything they were capable of doing to save the world? You did, Tucker did, his parents, my parents, Mr. Lancer. Pretty much everyone did whatever they could. The fact that I had the particular skill sets to pull it all together doesn't make me heroic. It's just dumb luck. I can't even take credit for the idea. I just tweaked Vlad's plan."

"So, _Vlad's_ the hero?"

He made a face. "Please."

"You did risk your life to bring back the ghosts."

"So? The alternative was dying anyway, and the whole world along with me. Kind of a no-brainer."

"Okay, this is self-flagellation, then. You're coming out here to tell yourself how _not_ a hero you are?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." He looked up at his own face, sculpted in gray-tinged bronze, and tried to put words to what he was feeling. "You said my coming here was both ego and beating myself up, and I think you nailed it. You even tried to tell me the other night, but I wouldn't listen. I kept saying it was all on me because of _my_ powers, _my_ responsibilities, _my_ burden. It took my dad yelling at me that it's not about me to make me realize this whole thing really has been one, giant ego-trip, putting myself on a pedestal while also ripping myself to shreds for not living up to that pedestal."

He shook his head. "And after all that, it wasn't even me who beat Vlad. It was my mom. With no special powers and not completely in her right mind, thanks to the Fright Knight's sword. Just... she loves her family and wasn't going to let anyone hurt us."

She regarded him a moment. "So, that's being a hero?"

"Maybe. But you know who the _real_ hero is? My dad. I mean, you saw him in the Far Frozen, how mad he was. Everything Vlad did to him—not me, but him. Everything always came back to how Vlad could hurt my dad. Everything he did, all the ways he used us to hurt my dad and, in the end, when he lost his powers and his mind and everything, my dad's response was to be kind. _That's_ a real hero. Putting aside your own anger and your own hurt and the revenge you really, really wanted and just being kind to someone who totally didn't deserve it." He met her gaze. "And I don't think I have that in me."

Sam snorted. "Oh, please. You're _totally_ like that. It's probably the main reason I..." She hesitated, just for a moment. "It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You're just a really good guy. I mean, look at my parents and the way they've treated you, and you still care that I'm not going behind their backs to see you."

He had to force himself not to grind his teeth. "Please, can we not get into another argument about your parents? You know why it matters. Besides, I think they're warming up a little. You know, the way Siberia is warm in comparison to the North Pole? But still, it's progress. Your mom and I almost had a moment, there, before we left for the Far Frozen. And when we came back, they weren't even openly hostile."

"I know. And they've started calling you Danny instead of Daniel, too. I'm sure it's all a plot, though."

"Sam..."

"See? I'm the one who doesn't forgive. But you? You're just like your dad. You both see the world the way it _should_ be, and then act like it _is_ that way."

Danny cocked his head. "Funny, that's what my dad said, that he sees the world the way he wants it to be. I don't think he thought that was a good thing, though."

"It is a good thing, Danny. It's how you make the world a better place."

"Me? You're the one who's always taking up causes."

"Yeah, I take up causes. Because I focus on what's _wrong_ with the world. Remember what you told Danielle the other day, that I'm passionate and I never give up? That you wished you could be more like me? Well, I'm glad you're not like me, because you know what else I don't give up easily? My anger. Look how long it took me to really, really be okay with Valerie. And it's _still_ a struggle sometimes.

"But you? You see _past_ what's wrong and focus on what _could_ be. You did it with Valerie, you did it with me when we first met, you do it with the ghosts. All those ghosts who've made your life miserable over the last three years, and you never even gave it a second thought. You just saw what they could be and pulled us all together."

"That's just being pragmatic. It isn't kind or heroic."

"You were kind to me when we first met. You were kind to Valerie when she was out to get your alter ego. You were kind to Danielle when she'd just helped Vlad kidnap you."

He closed his eyes. "Danielle is different. You know that."

"Because you feel responsible for her, I know. Like your dad feels responsible for Vlad."

Opening his eyes again, he turned to her. "It's not the same, not by a long shot. Dani was manipulated. Vlad is _evil_. But my dad, he just..."

"Vlad was someone he loved, and your dad doesn't stop loving easily. Neither do you. Which kind of works in my favor." She flashed him a mischievous grin, and he wanted so much to live up to what she saw in him, to be the person she believed he was.

But he wasn't quite there, not yet. "I'd like to think you're right, Sam. I'd like to think I could be half the man my dad is—figuratively," he added, before she could make a crack about his father's size.

"You're totally your father's son. That was Vlad's whole problem, remember?" She took his hand again and cradled it between both of hers. "I promise you, even if that statue got it wrong about why you're a hero, you definitely are one."

He let her words and her touch bolster him and chip away, just a little, at the knot of self-doubt. He still wasn't sure she was right, but she believed it, and that was enough for now.

They sat together, silent for a moment, before she spoke again. "So, what's gonna happen with Vlad, anyway? Are the Guys in White gonna try and get their hands on him?"

"They'll try. Don't know how much luck they'll have. Dad took him to Amity Park Psychiatric Hospital, and I guess this morning, a judge said he had to remain in a psych facility until he could be evaluated to see if he's competent to stand trial. I'm sure there'll be all kinds of turf wars and legal maneuvering, but to be honest, I don't think he'll ever make it out of the psych ward. He's just..." Danny shuddered at the mental image of Vlad, hair wild, eyes vacant.

"He's what?"

"He's _gone_. Realizing he already was living his worst fear, then losing the one thing he actually did have, his powers... It just _broke_ him. Well, that and whatever the Realm of Fears was doing to him the last three months. I don't think he's ever gonna come back."

"And your dad? How's he dealing with it all?"

"Honestly? I don't know. He doesn't seem sad or anything. I think he grieved their friendship a long time ago. But I wouldn't be surprised if he visited him regularly or something."

Sam shook her head. "You're right. Your dad is a hero. Vlad _so_ doesn't deserve a friend like him."

"Exactly my point."

"So." She squeezed his hand again. "Does this whole epiphany about what real heroism is mean that you're gonna cut yourself some slack now?"

"Oh, yeah. It's summer vacation. And not just any summer vacation. It's summer vacation before senior year. I plan on enjoying it."

She narrowed her eyes. "Cutting yourself from slack doesn't mean slacking off..."

"I know, I know. I get it, okay? No extremes. But with the ghosts all busy rebuilding the Ghost Zone and Frostbite keeping Vortex on ice, so to speak, until Clockwork finds the Observants and brings them back, everyone's gonna be a little too busy to cause problems here. It should be a quiet enough summer for me to kick back a little." He flashed her a hopeful smile. "Better?"

"Better."

"Heck, with any luck, we won't see any ghosts around here for at least another—"

"Hello, _frieeeeeend_!"

Danny sighed. "Three seconds. You'd think I'd learn not to say stuff like that. It's just a big ole invitation to the universe, isn't it?" Without looking for the source of the wheezy voice, he gave a halfhearted wave. "Hey, Klemper."

The pudgy, pink-clad ghost floated out from behind one of the columns that lined the portico. "Now that we're Bee—" He scratched his head, looking to Sam for help.

"BFFs."

"Yeah, BFFs. Now that we're BFFs, I thought we could, you know, hang out or something."

Danny gave him a tired smile, then leaned close to Sam to whisper, "See? _Totally_not like my dad, because I may never forgive you for promising him I'd be his friend."

"He did save Danielle. She would've killed herself trying to save the Far Frozen alone, and I definitely couldn't have gotten her to the med center by myself."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. But don't think I'm doing this alone. We're in this together."

She winced, then looked over her shoulder at the building behind them. "I think maybe Tucker might need some help..."

"I think he can handle it. Besides, he'll probably want to take a break for a late night snack at the Nasty Burger. I think Valerie's working tonight. So it's just you, me, and my new BFF."

"But—"

"You got me into this." Climbing to his feet, he held out his hand to her. Resigned, she took it and pulled herself up, while he looked up Klemper. "So, buddy, whaddaya up for? Sky's the limit. Only... not really, because I should probably stay in human form so people don't start rumors about Sam and Danny Phantom again. But name what you wanna do. We're all yours."

The green-faced ghost looked almost giddy. "Really? I... I don't know. No one's ever said they'd be my friend before."

Danny felt a twinge of guilt. "Well, you know, maybe if you didn't try so hard—"

"We could have a snowball fight!"

"Dude, it's summer! Save the snowball fights for the winter!"

Klemper frowned. "I only know winter. What do you do in the summer?"

"Are you kidding? Summer's _awesome_! There's the beach, girls in bikinis, Floody Waters, girls in bikinis, pool parties, girls in bikinis—oof!" He rubbed his ribs where Sam elbowed him. "Of course, that's more daytime stuff. At night, there's the summer concert series at the park bandshell, there's the old drive-in theater, there's—"

"The Skulk and Lurk," Sam added.

"The Skulk and Lurk. They'd love you at the Skulk and Lurk, Klemper. Or stargazing at the observatory, or ice cream at Elmer's..."

Holding hands, he and Sam started walking, Klemper floating happily above them, as the three of them set off with no particular destination in mind, just away from City Hall, leaving the statue of Danny Phantom holding up the world far behind.

_-THE END-_


End file.
